The Crimson Knights
by IronCross
Summary: After a brief civil war, a chunk of the Britannian lower class and Nobles left there motherland to creat a new home. Now, 20 years later, they've come back with a vengence. With the Helghan corporation and other armies, they aim to take back the conquered areas and recreate a kingdom that far supassed the old. And one daring young man leads the pack. Welcome to the Crimson Knights.
1. Chapter 1

Prelude:

What does one do to make a great county? Wealth? Power? Prestige? Many countries in this world have based their existence on these principles… Such simple minded humans. None of their empires have ever lasted in comparison to our own, the Hybrids. For tens of thousands of years we've served faithfully to the Galactic Alliance as their primary protectors and peace keepers. Now his highness, has tasked me and my forces to create and maintain the Terran system. It was simple task, but made complicated when the Britannian's began their world dominance. For 300 years, I watch in silence from the bow of my ship, occasionally sending agents to pacify the planet before It destroyed itself. But I can no longer ignore it. At this rate, the few Gaian's that populate the Earth will cease to exist, the few humans whom desire peace, love, and equality.

I've already made the necessary preparations. The prison continuant, Australia, will become my new kingdom. From there, I'll create a society that others will wish to plagiarize in order to advance. I'll create armies that mirror the honor and might of my own. I'll create a star system that will make my people proud. But there is only one young man who can help me. A young man who needed my guidance, my strength, my friendship. This man, was the son of the wretch whom now rules Britannia with an iron grip, and the women whom I loved even after her death. His name is Lelouch Lamperouge….

Chapter 1: History of the Outcaste.

How did the great split occur? Those from other countries, the truth were sketchy. Those whom lived in Britannia were either silenced or cared little, for it marked a great turning point in their society, for which the Nobles and upper class citizens never forgave. For years, Britannia was ruled by a monarch type government, where normal civilians rights were revoked the minute they offended a lord or lady. Rights in this country only belonged to the rich and privileged. Lower classes were expected to except their existence as mindless masses whom did as they were told. Those whom didn't follow this tradition often found them and their families 6 ft in the ground, without remorse, or even a proper grave stone.

This treatment would obviously spark a massive conflict at some point, regardless of how ruthless the consequence would be. History has repeatedly shown this. So it comes to no surprise that a small group of inspired men would one day be marked as traitors by the Britannia for starting a civil movement for equal rights. Equality meant that Nobles could no longer do as they pleased. They could not get punished for their crimes, nor could they use their authority on the common folk. In fact, it would render the whole concept of being a nobleman completely meaningless. Hence the wicked backlash that ensued, which later became the Emperors biggest folly to ever haunt his rule.

On March 13th, 1982, the Emperor of Britannia ordered his military to stop the mass migration that had taken place two months prior. The migration came about when several lesser Noblemen, Dukes, and Industrialist announced to the public that they were going to create a new, better country than Britannia, and free themselves from the tyranny that had befallen their motherland. The Emperor, enraged by this act of defiance, proclaimed that anyone who followed their example would be branded Outcaste and they're decadence would never be allowed to enter Britannia or Britannian control countries again. This however did not slow down the migration, and thus millions of lower class citizens started making preparations for Australia to begin a new life.

With this many people leaving, the empire itself would eventually be forced to make some upper class citizens work in demeaning occupations that were only fit for lower class scum. Then of course was the world view of them being a super nation, which began to drop in terms of respect to their power. Thus the military was given free rein to force the populous to stay. It marked as one of the bloodiest chapters in Britannian history.

It was recorded by outside sources (since the Emperor forbidden anyone to mention or record the event) that over 623,457 people died. Men, women, and children. These numbers have been speculated to be larger, but the bodies of the decease were destroyed by the Britannian military, as decreed by the Emperor that "Traitors to the Crown do not deserve a proper burial." What should have stopped the migration actually had an opposite effect. A rather catastrophic effect.

The first to react were two large weapons corporations, Helghan Corporation and the Stahl Industries. Lead by a charismatic leader by the name of Stalin Radrokov, both corporations merged their resources and joined in the migration, protecting whomever they could as they left and swearing to beheading the Emperor and any whom supported his tyrannical rule.

Next was a large group of scientist and college students Lead by a Duke Jaufree Cendallbeck and his clan whom later called themselves the Lunar Corps. Experts in Aviation, Nuclear fission, Laser Technology, and Space travel, they left mainly because of lack of support for their work, as well as outrage for the unnecessary violence. Once these Lesser Nobles began to leave, several others followed their lead. Taking their families, destroying their estates so the Nobles couldn't make a dime off their property, emptying their bank accounts (causing a financial crisis) and removing vital private forces whom served in the Britannians military.

The Lesser Noblemen whom stood out the most and cripple part of the economy were Duke of Maravona, Michelangelo Von Anderson and his Clan, whom specialized in farming, aquiculture, agriculture, and green energy technology; Sir Tidus De Trinton and his Clan, whom boast in fishing and Naval warfare; Carl Westen, an industrialist involved in Mining and Oil rigging. Arch Bishop Lenard Church, leader of his flock and a moral speaker for the Outcaste; Jason Tucker, another industrialist in charge of small arms technology and backer of the Shadow Marshalls; Brandon Rockwell, a wealthy banker whom poured all his funds to help create Fallout cities in Australia, including his own, New Yorkton.

During this time, some military leaders also left their post. Leading this group was Colonel Merkoffe Radec, Major Alexis Valinda, Sergeant Major Le Ble'ach Hinder III, Admiral Josef Hamilton, and Major Jonathan Moore Templar. Each leader took their loyal followers and their families, and with the help of the industrialist, was able to create an army to repel the Britannian forces as they escaped.

Then, for the next decade, the Outcaste secretly built themselves an impressive network of Fallout cities, specifically designed to withstand a nuclear holocaust. Each Fallout tower was able to house 500-1500 people and independently supply itself with power, food, and water. Stores, crafting guilds, schools, and machine shops soon followed, turning the towers into a small town themselves. When threat level 3 was called, these towers would then descend into the ground, protect by 13 layers of heat resistant steel.

Each tower had an Overseer, or Mayor. Every 10 years, a new Overseer was picked from his peers to govern his tower, along with the help of his handpicked officers and security force. There primary duty however was to maintain the peace and set monthly quotas, as each tower was chosen to manufacture products for their economy. If the Overseer wasn't performing his duty, the Vice Overseer would step in, and so on.

As more of these F-Towers began to spring up, it was decided to divide them into sectors, or cities. Each sector had around 10-15 towers, each ran and protected by Councilmen. Councilmen were former Overseers chosen by their peers to run their sector and to maintain their quota and recruit and train soldiers to protect their motherland.

The Outcaste had three main armies, each with their own methods and technology that suited their needs. The Helghan army, whom primarily used Infantry armed with anti-armor weapons (though they did use Mech's produced by Lunar Corp). The Lunar Corps, whose soldiers wore power armor and fired energy weapons that either turn their enemies to dust or simply blasted them apart. And the last was the Outcaste Navy, whom served to protect their land from hostile forces and spear head advances into enemy territory.

All three armies used a variety of Humanoid Fighting Tanks (HFT) to combat the Knightmares of Britannia, but this rarely occurred during the 1990's, as the HFT's were still being tested.

In mere two decades, the Outcaste was able to match their former home in terms global economics and power. Of course, it was foolish to boast such things so early in the game. Though the people were free from their King, they still didn't have a leader to take charge of their new country, and thus continued to run as city states similar to the Greeks. Then came a mysterious man by the name of Sir Guhl Kroner of Rustenburg.

No one has ever met Sir Kroner in person, but he often communicates viva through broadcast systems and monitors to get his point across, encouraging his people to press on to boost morale, while at the same time educate them to only despise the fools and cowards whom blindly follow their Emperor. After leading them for so long, it was suggested that a Senate should be created to deal with anything outside the homeland. These men and women would be voted in by the people and in turn, would vote for a President. Sir Kroner was chosen at first, but he kindly declined the offer and suggested the next best candidate, John F. Harkmen.

Mr. Harkmen was a commoner whom spent most of his life defending the rights of his fellow Britannians as a lawyer, only to fail repeatedly by the power and wealth wielded by the Nobility. Now seated in position of power, and with the help of his fellow Senators, Harkmen created another democracy type government that would help spear his people and others into the future.

Course, this hit some opposition from some the lesser Nobles whom didn't want to give up their prestige. As a compromise, Harkmen made it so noblemen played key roles as military men rather than politics. This same principle was also aimed at the Industrialist, whose goals would only be aimed at either bettering their economics, or military.

The last thing Harkmen did was create a unique system in which the people would decide of what type of age they would rather put their country through. The age of Power, an age where the Outcaste would focus on Military development. Age of Courage, a time where the Outcaste would selflessly protect other counties, mainly ones conquered by Britannia. Age of Wisdom, a time where they would make it a priority to conquer space. And the last age, the Age of Economics, which focused on farming, industries, energy development, and fisheries.

Each age lasted 4 years at a time, and so did the term of the President whom led it. As for the details of how long a President could remain in office, it was decided that the individual could run and long as the people wished, but could only do so two times in their life time.

While the Outcaste's small Empire silently grew, the Britannians immediately began to start wars in Asia and the Middle east, using faked assassination's as excuses to take up arms. Though they were still in some disarray from the departure of the Outcaste, their military might was still unmatched by most countries around the world. By year 2014, the Holy Empire of Britannia had conquered over eleven territories, and to prove their dominance, they stripped the taken territory of their names, resources, and people. Treating them as third class citizens and robbing them of their rights as human beings. The Outcaste were appalled of what had transpired, but lacking power themselves, they continued quietly to build their strength…

_8 years ago…_

**New Tokyo, sector 2, Tower 004**

"Everyone, please have a seat and wait for your home vouchers," the blue uniformed officer said calmly as the Japanese refugees gathered behind him. The man couldn't help but feel sorrow as his gaze feel upon the people. Torn from their homes, their families murdered in cold blood, their beloved county pillaged and set aflame by his mortal enemy, the Holy Empire Britannia. Jacob Moore Templar could only fathom the sense of lost that these people experience in the past month, and they were the lucky ones.

After a week of the Britannians invasion, President Harkmen ordered all available ships to evacuate any Japanese civilians they could carry, which totaled around 200,000 people. An impressive amount, but at a high cost. By the order of Admiral Nevin, he and his small fleet of 10 ships stayed behind to buy time for the fleeing cargo vessels, fighting to the last vessel. No prisoners were taken, for they knew that if the Britannians caught wind of their involvement, war would soon follow. Thus created the Honor Protocol, in which soldiers and officers alike fought the to the last man while destroying any equipment on their person.

Once the battered Japanese made it to their shores, President Harkmen greeted them personally and presented them New Tokyo, located on the northern portion of Australia. They were free to create their own government, and to use any resource in the area to maintain themselves. Such a thing was unheard of, but Jacob knew why such a proposal was made. By the advice of Sir Kroner, the 13th Senator, Harkmen wanted to give the Japanese the chance to rebuild themselves and take back their country, much like how the Philippine's and the vast majority of Arabs were doing in the other sectors. Once their country was retaken, they would spend some time their rebuilding it, then return control the borrowed sectors to the Outcaste. A clean and simple plan.

Jacob however made one more discovery while there. Standing to his right was a young Britannian boy with jet black hair and piercing lavender colored eyes. In front of him in a wheel chair sat a young girl, blind and unable to walk. The young Major found them wondering around aimlessly. Surrounding them was hundreds of dead Japanese citizens whom been slaughtered. Many at point blank range. Jacob was curious to why a couple of Britannian children were there to begin with, but he could sense great sense of kinship to these children, and decided to take them in as his own. Now the three of them stood there, gazing at the large towers that would be their home.

"You said you would be able to help my sister right?" The young man asked suddenly, breaking his thoughts. Jacob looked down and sighed.

"I'm afraid I can't give you a clear answer to that. Though medical technology has come a long way in terms of repairing dead tissue, it might take several operations to fix her conditions. However…"

"Yes? Please, if there is anything you can do…" The boy began, but Jacob raised a finger to silence him.

"Lad, there is another way, but its advanced technology that has been kept secret and for good reason. It is why we Outcaste have managed to come this far, to build so much in such a short time. It is why we will eventually punish Britannia for what they have done or allow to happen. This… This secret will forever bind you to our nation…"

Jacob then kneeled down and gently grabbed the boy's shoulders, "Lad, are you willing to do this? To become a warrior of our nation and one day be a leader of men?"

He then waited patiently, giving the young man some time to think. But to his surprise, the young man's eyes locked with his, and with strong words replied, "I, Lelouch vi Britannia, former seventeenth prince to the throne, swear to you that I will crush my father and all that he stands for."

His brave words filled his heart with pride. Even though it would have put them both at great risk, this boy took a chance to help his little sister. An honorable trait indeed.

"Words worthy of a prince. But I'm afraid that title is going to draw too much attention to the both of you. So what would you like to do, take my last name as your own, or is there another?"

"…Lamperouge. Nunnally and I will take our late mothers name…"

"Ah, yes. Dear Marianne. You may not remember this, but I was actually very close to your mother back in the day, when she was just a soldier like me…"

Lelouch gave him a curious look, "You knew our mother?"

"Well… yes. I knew her well before she bore the three of you. Now those were the days. So carefree, two comrades stealing into the night. But those bonds slowly disappeared when your father entered the picture. What your mother saw in him, I have no idea. But I know she was very happy when you three were born. In fact when you were much younger, I actually got stuck babysitting you three when her servant became ill."

Jacob chuckled when he saw Lelouch's face heat slightly, suddenly remembering a certain man whom scolding him repeatedly regardless of his title as prince.

"Uncle Templar?" Lelouch asked cautiously, receiving a pat on the head.

"Its good to see you two again. But where is your twin sister Leloucia?" Jacob asked with concern. Lelouch however just shook his head.

"Two weeks before Japan's attack. Luluko was ordered back to Britannia by my father. None of us could understand why…"

Jacob however knew exactly why. To suddenly call back Leloucia right before war broke out meant she still had some use to him. Probably something involving political gain through arranged marriage. With poor Nunnally crippled as she was, she wouldn't be useful at all. But what he didn't get however was why Lelouch was cast aside too. Maybe the lad challenge his authority, lord knows how much that man worshiped his power.

"I'm certain she's fine. Anyone whom can be still useful to your father won't be harmed in anyway. However, my deepest sorrow goes towards your mother… She was a good friend."

"Were you two in love?" Lelouch asked innocently. Jacob smiled sadly.

"Aye. I won't deny it. Even after she was married to Charles we still kept in touch. I even tried to bring her with me years ago just shortly after you and Leloucia were born. But your mother was still attached to Charles for some reason. Maybe she thought she could have pacified him in some way. It was very confusing times then. I stayed by her side as long as I could. But by the time Nunnally was born, my people needed me, and I couldn't stay with her anymore."

Jacob still regretted not staying by her side. Protecting her like a Knight should. Maybe if he did stay, he could have prevented her death. But those days were gone now. All was left were her precious children that Charles tossed aside. He may have failed her, but he'd be damned if he failed her children.

"Well Lu-chan. Looks like you're going to be living with me for now on. So how about we get something to eat and take Na-chan to a friend of mine? She's a really good doctor and probably will be able to help."

Lelouch smiled and gently held Nunnally's hand, "You hear that sis? We're going to get you better."

"Really?" His sister asked weakly, exhausted from the cramped boat ride that took weeks to endure.

"Of course sprout," Jacob said softly as he gently stroked her hair, "Hopefully in a year's time, you'll be able to run and play like everyone else. Now, since I'm taking you two in, I might as well inform Wadsworth to set up some rooms for you two…"

Authors Notes:

I've been working on this project for a year and a half, and yet, this chapter was the most I could come up with in all that time…(sigh). Just a formal note, I don't own Code Geass or the eleven other things that many of you may recognize. What took me so long was that I wanted to incorporate several ideas from other games and shows… and realized it was too much and had to down size and limit the capabilities of the Outcaste. Like it or not, I can't have my hero's having an easy time, or the story would get boring quick.

Also, I would like to note that there will be pairings. Some Are set in stone. Some not. Other may change depending on how the story arc goes. This story was rate M for a reason. Occsional smut or sex scene may occure through the series, (and yes, there is a difference between the two). Also rated for strong Lanuage that may offend people (Cause the Britannians are dicks), violence, nudity, brief hopes of ganduer, kicking kittens, setting endanger speicies on fire, and may cause pregnancy...

Anyway, here's the list of generics you may recognize throughout the story.

_**Killzone2 and 3 **_(soldiers, tech, certain characters. I chose these guys to make up the Outcaste in terms of power. Though as aggressive as in the game and hell bent on destroying the enemy, the Helghast will be playing in a better light with no genocide against civilians.

_**Full Metal Panic- **_Their tech and certain armslaves, Arbalest, Falke, and Venom. Helghast get to play with black/Nickel colored versions of the Savages.

_**Halo Reach- **_Armor used by Hell jumpers for Lunar Corp armies and Lelouch's men. Some helm characteristics and armor configurations. Was going to use Spartans, but that idea has already been used repeatedly.

_**Dead Space 1 and 2-**_weapon generics mostly.

_**Crysis 2-**_Nano suit 2, Alcatraz name taking Prophets place, and weapons. Many of the modes of the suit will be broken down for the different power armor used by the Outcaste. Most power armor will only be able to use two, (example: Maximum Armor and Maximum Power for a typical soldier).

_**RedVsBlue**_- Certain Characters, Agent Washington, Grif, Simmons, DELTA, Church. No, they won't be in their Spartan armor, just something similar.

_**Evangelion 1.01- **_Neo-Tokyo 3 (large buildings descending into the ground), Those hover missile planes from the beginning of the movie, and its defense grids (the large weapons platforms rising from the ground in long rows), and no, no EVA's!

_**Fallout 3- **_Power Armor, but in name only, most of the armor will be mixed with Spartan armor, Nano suit, and Generics from Iron Man.

_**Iron Man- **_Tech from his suit and certain generics.

_**Chrome Hounds-**_Tech and certain Hound characteristics.

_**Heavy Gear- **_Like Killzone, this game is a key factor in this story. Heavy Gear was a PC game I'd played in 1996. A good classic if anyone is interested, but you'd be hard pressed to find it. Most of the HFT's are based on mech's in the game, both in appearance and names. The term HFT I got from the anime GunParade March.

If you want to get a better idea on how these mech's are like (they're the same size and dimensions as knightmare frames AND used land spinners well before Code Geass appeared) go to Utube and look it up. The starting cinema for the game was advanced for its time and the mech's themselves are very similar to Knightmare frames. I also strongly suggest listening to the soundtracks that came with the game. Very original, my personal favorites is tracks 1-4.

_**White Knight Chronicles- **_General Dragias, his armor appearance with Spartan touches, his behavior and voice however are the same. He plays the new Zero that I created.

A Disclaimer that may mark my story for doom but I feel that the reader should know regardless.

Because the way I'm writing this story, the Power Geass will not be in the story. Now, many of you will argue that this would render this story from the original plot. And your right, for the most part it is. The only thing that will be recognizable from the original anime is certain key advents such as the Shinjuku incident. These however will be tweaked as well to follow my plot.

Most characters from the original series will be there, even C.C. Her role will have to change obviously, and no, she won't be a harem item in this story, rather more of a personal wingman like Cortana was to Master Chief. If that doesn't give you a big hint of her role, I don't know what to tell you. And no, Lelouch won't be a Spartan.

Rest assured, there is going to be dialog, pairings, possible harem themes, romance, action, drama, friendship, and politics. This story will be rated Mature for violence, course language, and strong sexual content… yes lemon.

P.S.

Some constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please Review. I would at least like to get the illusion that I'm entertaining people with my work. Otherwise why bother?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Capital city of Australia, Demetrius

Almost 10 years past since that day. And true to his word, the young prince worked day and night becoming a soldier of the Outcaste. Templar made sure that Lelouch got the best training he could offer, allowing the young man to learn battlefield tactics from Radec, Alexis, and himself. In terms of hand to hand combat training, Templar took upon himself to teach him the trade. Though Lelouch was very agile and flexible, in terms of strength he was seriously handicapped.

Though not his fault since he was born with a lean body type, Templar helped Lelouch overcome this defect by teaching him swordsmanship and stealth techniques involving combat knives. Next came HFT training. This skill however came naturally, no doubt inherited by his skillful mother. But it seemed to him that the units, be either Knightmare Frame or HFT type, Lelouch seemed to be holding him back, not able to keep up with his preferred method of fighting, which involved close combat with sword and shield. The only HFT that could match this skill was sadly lost during the separation decades ago.

The Arbalest. This unit was based off the Gernback M9 and was one of the best machines ever created, and would have dominated industry by itself. Thankfully, even though the unit was lost, none of the Britannian scientist could get their hands on any of the vital materials to make the machine work. And as a result, a Duke named Lloyd took the machine himself and hasn't been seen since.

Fortunately, two others were made along side with the Arbalest. The first being the Athena, which unfortunately was still in its testing trials, and the second being the Falke. Both units were based off the M9 chassis and were designed with similar close hand-to-hand fighting as the Arbalest. However, this unit valued stealth over confrontation; something Templar knew would change once Lelouch got his hands on it. The other higher ups may bellyache about having a child get such a state of the art equipment, but once he and Lelouch started executing their plan for liberating Japan, his colleagues will have no choice but let them have their way. Course, once his colleagues found out that he also gave Lelouch an aerial Frigate, two HFT squads, 4 Drone Squads, and a company of Shadow Marshals to go with it, chances are they would go ballistic.

So there he was, waiting for his meeting with Guhl Kroner, the 13th Senator whom never showed his physical presence to anyone. Templar knew the real truth for that, but it was vital to keep that information secret, at least for now.

"Ah. Lord Templar. Glad you've made it on such notice. Oh please do come in, I believe we have much to discuss you and I," Guhl's voice rumbled in the waiting room with a heavy British accent. Templar grabbed his officers cap and calmly walked toward the titanium steel doors that locked out the world behind. To say Mr. Kroner was reclusive was an understatement. But this behavior did not match anything to what he had accomplished in the decades that made what this country was today. He made it possible for the Rockwell family to amass their funds and stabilize the country's finances. Mr. Kroner was also responsible for assisting the Lunar Corporation gain technology that would enable them to make the HFT's and Power Armor that enhanced their military. And during the chaotic days during the separation, he played a key role when the Outcaste were escaping Britannia, messing with identification codes to protect them and leaking false intelligence to the Britannian military to reduce the death toll of the fleeing citizens. He even preformed the same hacking ability when the Japanese were trying to escape the initial invasion. When it came to Intelligence and espionage, Mr. Kroner was God. But this also increases the deeper mystery of who he was, much to Templar's amusement.

After walking for about 8 meters of stainless steel corridors filled with bright lights, Templar finally came to another set of security doors. This time there were two gun turrets trained on him while a mechanical eye scanned him from the door. After 2 minutes of this security check, the turrets disengaged and the titanium door slide opened.

"You know Kroner. I think age has made you a little paranoid in these last couple of decades," Templar said with mild humor as he stepped into yet another room that was different from the others. To save money, most Outcaste facilities had very plain décor that revolved around the steel that made its foundation. Kroner's office however showed a very decorative interior with mahogany wood paneling to hide the steel walls and amber lighting to ease the eyes. Hand crafted wooden furniture doted the area as well as Power armor encased in glass that were placed in regular intervals leading towards a desk with a large painting of his country hanging above. Templar hazard to guess that these armored units were probably security drones in disguise, guarding the Senator sleeplessly.

Once Templar was seated at the desk, the giant painting of Australia disappeared and was replaced by a man sitting on a similar leather chair. Mr. Kroner was a light colored man of British decent with black hair that was neatly trimmed to his head and a mustache that matched. His eyes were a deep blue and wore a suit that all Senators wore.

"I think every man has the right to be cautious Lord Templar. But enough with that, there're a few minor items you and I need to discuss before the rest of our Colleagues do," Kroner answered from the large video monitor.

Templar chuckled softly as he leaned back into his chair comfortably, "Yes, they do seem to get up tight about particular things. I can't fathom why…"

"Well, let me give you a reminder then," Guhl replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone as the Senator proceeded to read off a list he'd taken from his brief case.

"First item is the experimental MAWLER unit that mysteriously disappeared from the assembly yard two months ago…" Guhl gave Templar a look that suggested who to point the finger at for this stunt.

"Now, we both know who did this Lord Templar. But because I'm in such a good mood, how about you explain to me how a 40 story death machine managed to disappear from a high security area?"

"Easy. It was never there in the first place," Templar replied with a cheerful smile. Guhl however had a look that suggested that his brain came to a screeching halt.

"… Run that by me again."

"The units that everyone is so worried about was in pieces to begin with. I simply took one batch from the assembly line and shipped it somewhere."

"Alright. Now care to explain to where was this unit sent and why?"

"Japan. In fact, much of my time in these past 2 years has been for making preparations for the liberation of Japan," he explained in a sober matter. Guhl however was rubbing the bridge of his nose in silent frustration. And rightly so. Templar had the habit of doing things on the whim, which too many seem like sophomoric behavior, not to mention reckless in terms of being a Senator, a position of power that the people look up to aside from the President. Templar however knew that diplomatic discussions involving military affairs were too slow for his taste, and so he often initiated missions himself and it would be months before the other Senators would catch wind of it, if at all.

"…Lord Templar. I know you find our meetings to be tedious and time consuming. But the rest of us would sleep better at night if we had the forewarning of what your plans are. A simple vote would have sufficed. Yes?"

Templar however shook his head, "Nay. The process would have lasted months. And with a tight nit operation like this, every second counts. The Britannians are becoming overconfident and less alert. With them focusing on the E.U. as their main enemy, we can easily set up our armies into tactical positions. As we speak, the Draco and the Vigilance are already assembling in the Middle East and the Kaga has already taken the Philippians with the Britannians none the wiser. Once Lelouch and my unit start making head way in Japan, Britannia should loosen its grip in the Middle East and then we'll strike."

"True. Lelouch's conquest of the Philippians has raised moral. But I think it would be dangerous to have him use real name?"

"You needn't worry yourself over that little detail. Both the lad and I will adopt new names with our double lives. It will making recruiting easier and enables us to unify Japan against the Britannians. However, I do have a little concern for the Japanese Liberation Front. They despise all and any who aren't Japanese. With this mind set, they could ruin everything…"

"Well, if that is your main concern. Then you needn't worry. Zero was given specific instructions on how to deal with that issue," the Senator answered with confidence. Templar however didn't like Zero's personality traits. The man would often manipulated people to get what he wanted in diplomatic situations and used underhanded tactics in military operations despite being very skillful in combat both on foot and in his HFT. In short, he was a perfect assassin.

"Zero eh? Well, as long he does his job, our operation should be successful in the coming days. Now, was there anything else we needed to discuss?

"Well, there was. But since you already revealed you battle plans to me, I can take an educated guess to where an experimental aerial Frigate and several other items went. Just do me a favor and get some progress soon. With equipment going missing like this, everyone is going to think we've suffered a major leak of some kind. It's bad enough we've lost the Arbalest and the Nano-gear as well."

"Oh, about the Nano suit. The lad tells me that he may have found its location…"

"What? Where? And why hasn't he reported this finding yet?"

"Calm down. I told him to keep low and gather Intel. Right now he's attending at the Ashford Academy where most of our allies are residing. Once we find out exactly what we're dealing with, we'll act accordingly. Leave the Special Operations to me. That's my job."

"And my job is to remind you what your limitations are Lord Templar. You're not the only officer in our ranks who does as he pleases. Radec has been getting really antsy these past few months since his takeover of New Zealand. He feels if we don't start taking the other areas soon the Britannians will counter with something far stronger and prolong the war."

"That outcome will show regardless of what we do. We need to sow the seeds now to prevent civil unrest from the conquered territories so the civilians won't turn against us once we freed them from the Britannians. Once they know we're only trying to build a United Nation and allow them free reign in their country, only then can we start excelling our plans.

"…Very well. We'll conclude our meeting here. I trust you have plenty to do before your departure. But there is one thing I want to know before you leave."

Templar cocked an eyebrow, curious to why Guhl would be so hesitant to ask him of all people, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Very well. Was Marianne your lover before the split?"

"…Yes. She was. Why?"

"Because I just received the reports involving the blood samples from her children… Shall I go on?"

"…It was always a possibility from the beginning. Regardless, the relationship that I have with her children wouldn't have change. I will always love them as my own. Blood related or not."

"I figured not. But you do know what this means. Yes? They have your blood…"

"This is something we'll worry about once the war is over. Besides, Lelouch's body won't react to the blood for another 5 years."

"That's your race you're talking about. You forget that he's half human. The process might have already accelerated. How else do you explain the advancement in rank and skills when no other has been able to achieve the same results under the same circumstances? He's only 17 years old and already a Lieutenant Major! And a Shadow Marshal at that! And let's not forget what your race is notorious for when they get into heat…"

"Oh come now Guhl! He's just a normal human boy. My blood shouldn't affect him in any way!"

"Tch. Fine. I just hope you'll be around once his pheromone glands start maturing. Lord knows he'll probably start seducing the entire female population in the area. And I can't wait till his sisters come into the mix. They'll have half the world converted into Blood elves in a year's time!"

"Now I know you're paranoid. Just leave the parenting to me old man," Templar said before leaving the doubting Senator behind. But what the old man said made him worry. If his lovers children were his, then chances are Lelouch and his twin sister Luluko were much likely experiencing puberty in a very unique way. The whole thing made him cringe.

"Dear God, now I'm paranoid. Damn it! At this rate, people might think they're vampires or something. Tch, humans and their superstitious nonsense," Templar mumbled as he retraced his steps, not bothering to notice the doors closing shut behind him.

Japan, Ashford Academy…

Lelouch was in fact experiencing a problem. But not the one that Templar feared. It was simply fatigue. Despite his harsh training, the young man was hitting his limit from doing Black Op missions at night while trying to attend his classes during the day and keep up with his grades. Unlike Templar who had a sub to fill his teaching position, Lelouch had to pretend he was taking care of Nunnally, who thankfully still feigned being crippled for his guise.

As he slowly made his way to his home, which also doubled as the housing area for Ashford student body officers, Lelouch noticed a couple of lights were on inside the manor. Typical. His sister was worried so she stayed up late again waiting for his return. Though he appreciated the thought, Lelouch didn't think it was necessary for the both of them to be exhausted. However, as he entered the door, his trustful servant Sayoko was there to greet him.

"Welcome back sir. I hope your trip was productive," she answered cheerfully, which seemed to affect his mood considerably and couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, it was. But I think I need to cut back on participation for a day or two. All this running around is starting to get to me."

Sayoko took his coat and duffle bag before following him to the dining area where she later served him a light meal.

As he ate in silence, he'd noticed that Nunnally was nowhere to be found, did she fall asleep somewhere?

"Say, Sayoko-san. Is my sister still awake? I thought I saw her bedroom light on when I came in."

Sayoko responded with her soft smile, "She feel asleep waiting in your room. Probably because both of you keep missing each other during the day. Poor thing, she's been getting so little rest."

Lelouch let out a frustrated sigh. Yeah, it's like he'd feared. Well, there was only one thing left to do. Take a small respite and spend a little more time at home to ease his sister's mind. Maybe even converse with his classmates. How long ago was it he spoke to Rivalz, a week, two weeks maybe? But that slipped from his mind when he almost fell into his plate. Yeah, bed time.

"Yeah, I'm taking a break. I trust you know what to do?" Lelouch asked as Sayoko started to clean up.

"I'll let Lord Templar know of your condition. But I hardly see the need. If I recall, wasn't it he who told you to enjoy your high school life. Make friends, have fun?"

"Yeah right. With my lifestyle I barely have the luxury to spend time with the people I love, much less then my friends…" Lelouch replied as he made his way up stairs, only to be stopped by his maid.

"That may be, but just don't forget that we'll always be here waiting for your return. Just come home safely. It's what we pray for every night."

Lelouch felt his face burn and an uncomfortable lump in his throat. He didn't know how to react to such kindness. Sayoko however reassured him again with her trademark smile and nudged him upstairs.

"Just say thank you and go to sleep. Its 2:00 in the morning and school starts at 9:00."

Lelouch nodded and left Sayoko to her work. Making his way to his room, he found his precious little sister curled up in a ball on his bed. Lelouch sat down next to her sleeping form, watching her sleep.

"If only mother could see you now. How much you've grown up. Heck, Lulu-chan would be crying tears of joy if she saw you now," he said softly, stroking her long ash colored hair. After a moment of this, he could sense her waking to his presence.

"Oni-chan, is that you?" Nunnally asked in a sleepy tone.

"Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting," he apologized while she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"It's alright. Just knowing your safely home is enough to put me at ease… But it does get a little lonely when you're not around…" She pouted. Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle. She may be 15, but Nunnally still had a couple of child like qualities that stirred his paternal instincts.

"Yeah I know, but I'm going to take a break for the next couple of weeks, so that should give us some time to catch up."

"Don't forget everyone else now. I know you like to coddle me, but your friends are important too," Nunnally lectured suddenly, contradicting her comment earlier. He simply chuckled and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Yeah, your right. Now go get some sleep. I don't need the teacher telling me my sister was sleeping in class now."

Nunnally however stuck out her tongue playfully," Like you're the one to talk. If it weren't for Shirley-chans notes you would've flunked all you're class's ages ago."

"H…hey. I'm not that bad!" Lelouch tried to deny, but Nunnally was already out the door. But then poked her head in again.

"Goodnight Oni-chan. I'm glad your home…" And with that, she was gone. Lelouch remembered a time when she used to give him a peck on the check before she went to bed. But as they both aged, their behavior towards each other physically was slowly changing into only something that could be portrayed verbally. God he missed those innocent days, when such contacts were acceptable because they were just loving siblings. But he'd guess that always changed when you matured. That, and not trying not to look like an over dotting brother. Regardless, they still loved each other, and that was never going to change. And with a little hope, maybe they would see their sister again and the three would be together again.

As Lelouch drifted off to sleep, not bothering to change out of his clothes, Nunnally silently crept back to his room and watched his sleeping form.

"Sleep well brother. You've earned it," she said softly before planting a kiss on his forehead and silently crept back to her room.

Authors Note:

Don't worry guys, there is going to be action soon. Just be patient. And please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Templar observed calmly as the bridge crew worked around him on the command deck. Some double checking the inventory for the lower levels, others were busy making sure the Frigate was fully fueled and ready for the open sky. The experimental Frigate that Templar was currently commanding was called the Shadow Of Intent. Its name was derived from the Special Operations that the Frigate performed behind enemy lines in absolute secrecy.

Now, one would wonder on how it was possible to hide such a large object in the sky, especially when it looked like a bullup rifle with rockets strapped to the sides. Well, the Shadow of Intent had two unique abilities. One was the ability to submerge itself underwater while using its nano-skin to mimic the sea around it. And second was its ECS (Electric-Concealment System) mode, or simply stealth mode. This system was built around the same time the Nano-gear 2 was made using the same system. However, like the Nano-gear, the stealth Frigate could only conceal itself for a certain about of time, up to 2 hours before the system shut itself down to recharge and cool down the fusion reactors. If left uncheck, the system could over load the reactors and turn the ship into a overly expensive Nuke.

Despite the time constraint, the stealth ability alone gave them the edge they needed. However, because much room was needed for the equipment to make this thing work, 1/3 of the ships armor and standard armament had to be removed to save weight. As such, it had only half the firepower of a standard aerial Frigate. All of its main guns were removed, leaving only x5 Avenger AA-guns, x2 Hornet batteries, and x2 missile batteries. Then there was the experimental Petrusite Cannon, which was located at lower center of the ship. When not used, the system was hidden under the belly of the ship so the Frigate could use its stealth ability.

Room was also needed for the hanger bay, another feature that most Aerial Frigates lack because of weight issues. Course, the Shadow of Intent had nowhere near as large as the hangers that the ground Frigates possessed. It did however allow small units to be carried for special operations, as was its nature.

In the hanger bays, there were 6 HFT (Humanoid Fighting Tanks) units, 5 experimental HFT's, 12 assault drones, 6 experimental amphibious stealth V-TOL's (Vertical Take Off Landing craft), 1 L-TAC (Light Tactical Attack Craft), 2 E-TAC (Equipment Tactical Air Component), 15 LRV's (Light-armored Reconnaissance Vehicle), and 3 Wolverine MBT's (Main Battle Tank).

The crew size was also small, since most of the equipment was automated so the ship could operate on small man power. On the bridge, there were only 16 crew members. And a large percentage of them were very young. But they were brave, and followed orders in good faith. And as for the rest of the crew population, the mass majority of them were engineers, technicians, and medical officers, whose numbers range around 120.

Then there were the Shadow Marshals, the Special Operations group that was the Pride of Britannia until the separation, one company of Lunar Corp soldiers, and his handpicked group of misfits, Delta squad. Templar had toyed with the idea of employing Helghast soldiers in his ranks, taking into consideration to how lethal they were. From the lowly grunt to an assault trooper, the Helghast were possibly the single faction that the Britannians regretted ever losing. But their thirst for destruction made them more useful in invasions than stealth.

So he relied on Shadow Marshals and Delta squad to get things done. Leading his Marshals was Lelouch when he wasn't playing the Ashford student, and Lieutenant Major George U. Washington who took his place when absent. Washington was very reliable and could easily make it as a Veteran class. Wash however preferred to lead his men personally, rather than behind lines. As such, he's earned the respect of any whom served under or above him in combat. But he did have one major flaw. He wasn't very flexible in areas that didn't involve combat, making him a horrible choice in hostage situations.

Serving under him were Duke, McKinsey, Gordon, Hogg, Rivers, Rando, and Kiba. These men had server under him since the separation and were now also under the leadership of Lelouch. This was questioned at first, but after using his tactical genius during the Philippine campaign that only lasted a couple of weeks, Lelouch gain their trust fairly quickly and behind closed doors was treated like a little brother among them.

Delta Squad was made of random soldiers that had decent skill sets but because of certain personality disorders, were often shifted to the side and never went anywhere.

Church was a prime example. He was an expert marksman with a sniper rifle, excelled in guerilla warfare, and very intelligent in battlefield tactics. But that was it. He hated working with anybody, lacked any tact in social situations, and when put into a group, he won't hesitate to clog up the communication channels with his course language and raging war panic. As such, the poor guy never made beyond Grunt E-class. Templar saw his skill set and didn't hesitate to draft him into his unit.

Next was Grif. Grif was average on all fields, which ironically makes him the most experience in comparison to anyone else who only has one skill set. However, like Church, Grif had a serious handicap that forced him to stay as a lowly Grunt. Whenever the chance arises, Grif won't hesitate to curl up somewhere and take a nap, and very openly makes it clear that he could care less about anything that didn't involve combat. Many would joke that the whole world could burst into flames and Grif would still find a comfortable spot to sleep. In truth, Templar drafted him into his unit more out of his own amusement than anything else, as from his point of view it was almost like hide and seek when he needed a helper. Course, Grif would eventually be caught, and then be forced on two man missions with Templar that often almost got Grif killed in the process, much to his discomfort.

Jessie was a cut from a different clothe all together. Daughter of an aristocrat, Jessie join the military to spite her father, and on purposely enlisted as a regular rather than an officer. As such, she's more driven than most and is out to prove anyone of her skills. But this often goes to her head, and often makes it troublesome for the group, and as such, she was moved from one unit to another for her snobbish behavior until Templar drafted her. After a year serving under Templar and participating in the liberation of New Zealand and the Philippines, Jessie has matured to a point that now she acts more like an over bearing sister, and is nicked name as such, serving as the team leader for the squad.

Tank was the squad gunner. He has a single skill set that involves collateral damage in every sense of the word. As the only Helghast soldier in their ranks, it's not surprising that Tank won't hesitate to mow down his opponents with very little care other than winning. Though careful about civilians, Tank won't hesitate to bring down an entire building if it meant getting a job done.

Dante and Foster were brothers whom hailed from France. However, because they are colored, their French accent often throws people off. In combat however, they are unstoppable. But only when they are together. For some reason, their skills drop significantly when separated in other units or given different assignments on the same mission. Their objectives have to be the same or everything falls apart. Templar often sends these two on solo missions with Lelouch along with Tank.

Serge is another strange case, but less so than the others. He excels in espionage and performs air drop missions with Church as he is a talented sniper as well. Born in Moscow, he lost his ability to speak due to a serious throat infection that nearly killed him when he was younger. This practically doomed his military career from the very beginning despite his obvious talents. Templar drafted him along with Washington and Church before the separation and since then has been a loyal friend and adviser for Templar.

Last member of Delta was Shane. A member of Lunar Corp, he is the squads medic and demolition expert. A combination that most found quite odd and very contradicting. Templar of course saw someone with talent and ran with it. Shane often rambles as he works, talking about things that don't make sense, but this is mostly a minor brain deficiency he suffered from a sever flu years back. It clearly doesn't affect his work and his teammates trust his skills without question.

Then there was their mascot and the Frigates main A.I. construct, Delta. In his holographic form, his is simply a glowing sphere that shimmers every time he speaks. He runs the automated systems and gathers whatever intelligence he can get his hands on to hedge their bets.

Another A.I. was usually present, but she had a human body and accompanied Lelouch to and from Ashford Academy, sometimes serving as his double. C.C. was her call sign, but only Lelouch seemed to know her true name, and the two had a strange relationship, one that bordered as comrades but behind closed doors, Templar strongly suspected the two were very intimate. Which didn't really surprise him. Though considered an A.I. by definition, C.C. was actually a bio-roid, humanoid androids whose bodies were capable of all human functions. And C's original function was lewd at best. He'd figured that because Lelouch treated her like a regular women, C wouldn't hesitate to stay by his side, flirting with him shamelessly till he gave in. Problem most young men his aged would crave for.

As Templar muddled in his thoughts, Delta suddenly appeared in front of him without warning, wearing a red tint that differed from his calm grey. Something was wrong.

"My lord. I've managed to gleam into what may be the location of the Nano-gear."

Templar frowned at this," Already? How did you manage to find that out when Lelouch only just discovered this a week ago?"

Templar could feel fear creeping up on his back as the ships A.I. turned even redder to symbolize the nature of the situation.

"Sir, I'm not the one who found it. A rebel faction from the Shinjuku area has found the suit, however, I'm certain that they may think that it's some sort of poisonous gas judging by how the Britannians have labeled it. If they do get their hands on it, I fear there would be large amount of casualties. Mostly civilian."

"Damn! How close are we? Can we sneak in from our last route?"

"No. The Mafia that we've been harassing for the past 3 months has informed the Britannian military. So far they've done little, but an aerial Frigate that far inland will compromise our presence and jeopardize any Spec Op in the near future."

Templar thought carefully. If this event occurred, many lives could be taken from one faction trying to hide while the other would do anything to get their property back. And Templar was quite familiar to what Britannia was willing to do in that advent.

"How long do we have before they execute their plan?"

"They plan on bombing the science facility at 600 hours. We currently have only 6 hours to react. Therefore I strongly recommend having Lieutenant Major Lamperouge, call sign Saigo Takamori, to intercept. I'll leave the negotiations with him."

"I agree. Lelouch has enough gear to perform this mission. But things could get dicey regardless. So I think we should send some insurance… Delta, assemble the Marshals and have them ready in 10 minutes. Japan may be small but it's going to take them a while to get to the Shinjuku ghetto. Meanwhile, I'm going to give Guhl a call. See if he can work his magic…"

"Excellent idea my lord. I assemble the team immediately. Will you participate in this mission as well?"

Templar however shook his head gravely, "I can't. I have to attend two meetings that are crucial in getting the funding to continue our operations without having to go back to Fort Brimstone every time we perform a mission. Therefore I leave it your capable hands. Just make sure my fool hardy son doesn't get himself killed…"

This information made all heads turn inside the bridge. Yeah, that could have been kept quiet a little longer…

_**200 hours, Ashford Academy**_

Lelouch was practically unconscious when he felt someone tugging on his right shoulder.

"Master! You need get up, Lord Templar has an urgent mission for you!" Sayoko said in a worried manner. Lelouch's eyes burst wide open and he immediately jumped out of bed and began changing his cloths, not even bothering to tell his maid to leave.

"Why the hell does he need me now? Have we been found out?" Lelouch asked while putting on his Kevlar jump suit. Sayoko, unfazed by the naked teen in front of her, shook her head.

"No. He says they found out where Alcatraz is. However, it looks like a Japanese resistance group is going to get it first in less than three hours. Lord Templar needs you to intercept and if possible convinced them to handing it over and if possible, join our ranks."

Lelouch just shook his head in mild frustration, "So that's why he gave that code name. Was wondering why it had to be Japanese. Oh well. I guess I'll have to use the pocket armor to get there. But I don't want to waste that much energy on the reactor…"

"You needn't worry about that Master. I've already informed Rivalz of the situation a few minutes ago. He says he'll be waiting for you by the main gate."

"Thanks Sayoko-san. That solves three problems. Now, since I'll be riding with him, I should probably put on some civilian clothes. Be kinda strange being seen in full body armor."

"Be sure to bring extra ammunitions as well sir. Lord Templar is sending support, but it will be well after you make contact with the resistance fighters that they'll will be able to join you," the young maid reminded as she handed him his sports bag that held his gear and his KBR-87. It was a long ranged rifle that had low rate of fire but excelled in power and accuracy. Often used as a battle rifle, Lelouch however customized it to be a sniper rifle, his preferred weapon of choice.

His backup weapon was a KMP-45, a machine pistol that fired 10mm rounds and had a high rate of fire. Plus with the weapons equipped to his pocket armor, Lelouch had more enough gear to start with. The only thing he needed to worry about was how to convince the terrorist to side with him and give him the suit? Well, that had to wait, right now he needed to leave quickly if he had any hopes of catching them with the Nano-gear.

So after double checking his equipment, and saying a quick goodbye to Nunnally and Sayoko, Lelouch quickly ran out the door.

As the young man headed off, a young green haired women draped in a thin night gown stepped from the hall way and peered out into the darkness.

"No rest for the wicked yes?" she stated, only to receive a grim nod from the maid and a sad sigh from the former princess.

"I just hope he'll be ok…" Nunnally said in a worried tone, wrapping her bathrobe tightly around to protect herself from the morning chill. She then suddenly felt Sayoko pull her close and held her gently against her warm body. Comforting her in a motherly way.

"Master will be fine. If he managed to survive my training and Lord Templar's, then I'm certain he'll managed this without a scratch. I just hope things will progress smoothly. Regardless, I think it will be wise for us to stay inside today just in case we might be discovered. C.C. Your know what to do."

The bio-roid simply smiled in a playful manner, "Yup, guess I'll be playing Lulu till he gets back…"

As soon as she said this, her hair quickly turned black and shorten to the exact style as her accomplice. This sight would have surprised anyone, but both parties have known about C.C. for months and so knew at what she was capable of. But the thing that caught Nunnally's attention was the nickname she gave big brother.

"Lulu? Is that's big brother nick name?" she asked innocently as the doppelganger made her way upstairs. She stopped for a moment in thought, and then an amused smile rose from her lips.

"It's a nickname from one of Lelouch's classmates. And she's the only girl who has his permission to call him that…"

It took Nunnally a moment before she realized what C.C. meant by that comment, but before she could interrogate the bio-roid any further, she was already gone.

_**400 hours, Inside the Shadow of Intent**_

For the past two hours, Templar had been coordinating with his Marshals and had them deployed shortly before he had a one on one with Guhl. With his talent, he could assist Lelouch in convincing the Shinjuku cell into cooperating with them, or at least help with the retrieval of the Nano-gear.

"Well, I must say you've given my quite the challenge. But I'll see what I can do. In the mean time. Just continue as you were and I'll handle the details. Just make sure you're successful in the negotiations with the houses of Kyoto. Lord knows their assistance will make things a lot less tedious in the long run," the Senator said after the lengthy discussion.

"You needn't worry about that. The old man and I go a long way back. But enough about that. How are you going to give my son the support he needs if you mind me asking?"

"Tsk Tsk. Even I have my secrets Lord Templar. But don't worry. If this goes the way I want, we'll steer the targets clear from the area and make the switch. That way if things do go sour, none of the civilians will be pulled into it. I just hope those terrorist are willing to listen to reason…"

Templar rubbed his chin. It would be benefit them to have some more Japanese soldiers on their side. At least that way the rest of the resistance groups will follow a similar tolerance to outside help. Then it would only be a matter of just organizing them to be shipped to Fort Brimstone in the Philippines for basic training and have a decent fighting force.

"I have full confidence in your rhetoric. I'll leave you and Delta with the rest," he replied before addressing to his crew.

"Everyone. I deeply appreciate all that you have done thus far. That said, things from this point on are probably going to escalate beyond your comfort zones. So I implore you to remember your training and follow Delta's orders to the tee. If everything goes well, we'll have the Nano-suit back in our hands and bring us one step closer to our dream. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes my Lord!" came the enthusiastic cry, as everyone inside the bridge stood at attention and saluted. Templar smiled and saluted back.

"Good. I leave the rest to you Delta," he said before exiting the room.

_**500 hours and 45 minutes, just outside the Shinjuku area**_

Lelouch was able to get to the waypoint that Guhl just sent him 30 minutes ago, and now was waiting patiently for the suppose cargo truck that was suppose to pass by their position. Lelouch was worried at first for having his friend so close to the hot zone. Though an operative like himself, Rivalz lacked most of the combat training required by most agents. But he couldn't deny his bravery. He'd only hoped that it didn't get himself killed in the process. So to ease his mind, he was going to send his friend back to the academy under the pretence of keeping his cover.

"Alright, I'm all set here. Once the coast is clear, I want you to head back. If you start now you make it before the first bell," Lelouch began but was suddenly silenced by Rivalz glare.

"Oh no you don't! You're not going to take all the glory while I go run and hide!"

"Rivalz! This isn't a game! You've never been on an Op before, let alone kill anybody! Besides, I need you back at the academy to keep up my cover!" Lelouch hissed while he prepared his pocket armor, which by looking at it appeared to be a dull grey metal suit case. Rivalz however snorted in annoyance.

"Ok, you got me there. But I'm the one whose going have to tell everyone the bad news if anything happens to you. What the hell am I suppose to tell Nunnally, or worse, Shirley?"

"First off, Sayoko is the one who's going to deal with that issue. And secondly… Where the hell did Shirley come from?"

"Oh don't play dumb. Out of all the pretty girls, she's the only one you ever pay any attention to," Rivalz stated in a jealous tone.

"Uh, that's cuz we're in the Student Council. Where the hell have you've been?" Lelouch deadpanned as he began to double check his rifle and magazines.

"Oh please, don't tell me you haven't even noticed how she acts around you. Plus I think the cute nickname she gave you was a dead give away," Rivalz revealed, causing Lelouch to pause for a moment. After a minute or two, Lelouch heaved a sigh and gave his best friend a tired look.

"Look, I know she has a crush on me, alright. And yes, I'll admit she's cute and all. But she has no idea what I'm doing and going out with her would put both of us in danger!" Lelouch countered, only to realize a moment too late that he just admitted to his crime. Rivalz had a broad smirk on his face that made Lelouch flush darkly.

"Ok, you got me, now shut up and get going. I need to get my head back in the game."

"Ok buddy. Just make sure you come back alive alright. Wouldn't want both your princess to cry now would you?" Rivalz replied before gunning his engine and speeding off before Lelouch could grab him.

"Nosy little bastard. Getting me all flustered before a mission…" he muttered darkly before checking the area to make it was clear. Lelouch was in an ally way that was close to the main highway, giving him a clear view to the coming target.

Once satisfied that the area was secured, he dropped the metal suit case on the ground, causing it to open slightly and pop up right side up again. Once he slipped his feet inside the case, he grabbed the suit case handles and forced them inside till he heard a distinct click, then lifted the movable portion unto his chest and position his body to where he was standing straight up. Once he heard another metallic click, he forced both his arms out and made the portion on his chest flatten out and begin the cycle, causing the suit to enclose around him in its protective shell. Once his body was enclosed, Lelouch grabbed his helmet with a simple T shaped visor. Once he put the helmet on, his HUD display activated and began its loading sequence, checking systems and condition of the mini-reactor located on his chest, Lelouch then put on his utility belt and bandoleer that held his extra ammunition. Once he was done, he holstered his machine pistol to his right holster and had his KBR held steadily in his hands. Now all he had to do was wait…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Kallen could feel the adrenalin rush course through her veins as their truck broke through another poorly constructed blockade. They had just bombed a Britannian science lab run by the Viceroy himself and now had in their possession a large metal container that held a very dangerous gas. What they were planning to do with this weapon, Kallen had no clue. But she knew in their hands, they were going to make Britannia pay for the years of suffering they had endured under their occupation.

Driving the large transport truck was her order brother and leader of the Shinjuku resistance group, Naoto. Behind her was her childhood friend Suzuki, whom was making preparations to defend the truck with Kallen if the Britannian Royal Police Force managed to catch up, or worse. The Military.

"Can't this thing go any faster? Those gunship's are getting closer and we only have one Glasgow's to fight with," Suzuki said in a worry tone as she peered out, watching the looming threats get closer.

"We're already hitting 90 with this thing. Any faster and we fly off the freeway," Naoto said through clenched teeth as he made a tight turn, causing Kallen and Suzuki to squish into one another in the passenger seat. Once the momentum of the turn weakened, the small group just had enough to time gasp in horror as a police attack V-TOL suddenly appeared over them, firing its deadly arsenal of hot lead that riddled the entire truck with holes. Kallen kept her eyes shut the whole time, terrified of the idea of seeing herself and her friends be turn into mince meat. However, when the attack was over a second later, she found herself miraculously unharmed. She quickly turned to Suzuki, whom thankfully wasn't injured either. But the moment she saw Suzuki's paled face, she jerked her head toward her brother and found him with several noticeable bullet wounds in his gut, desperately trying to keep the truck from crashing despite the intense pain.

"Naoto-kun!" Suzuki shrieked in horror as she quickly dragged him from the driver's seat while Kallen grabbed the wheel in time to dodge another attack from the same V-TOL. Things were quickly going from bad to worst. With Naoto injured, Suzuki would be busy trying to keep him alive while she drove the truck, leaving neither of them to pilot the Knightmare Frame.

"What are we going to do Kallen? Should we abandon the gas and make a break for it?" Suzuki asked, trying to use what little skills she had when it came to first aid and was desperately trying to stop the bleeding gushing from Naoto's gut. Kallen kept silent. The only thing keeping her from breaking at this point was the lives of her friends. They couldn't fail now. Not when they came this far.

Suddenly Kallen saw the same attack craft making another pass, only this time it was aiming at her…

"Kallen! Watch out!" Suzuki cried, but it was too late, Kallen couldn't maneuver the truck without making it tip over. She could literally see time slow around her as the harbinger of her death came straight at them, firing its guns at the spot where she would drive a moment later.

"I've failed…" Kallen heard herself whisper, waiting for death to take her in its unforgiving grasp. But a split second later, an ear splinting sound of a rifle roared over her. Kallen was startled by the new sound, but that was quickly forgotten when the V-TOL that had been giving them so much grief was now barreling out of control, forcing her to swerve right to avoid crashing into the wrecked craft. When that hurdle was cleared, she saw two more attack V-TOL taking firing positions, only to hear the same rifle roar above her and a second later both crafts crashed into nearby buildings surrounding the highway. What was going on!

"Kallen! Someone is over us!" Suzuki revealed, pointing at Kallen's driver side mirror. Kallen took a quick glance and what she saw almost made her heart stop. On top near the center of the truck was an armored soldier in a kneeling position with a strange bullup rifle in his hands. After he shot down the third V-TOL, the others finally backed off to a safe distance, but close enough to monitor their movements.

"Can you hear me?" crackled a voice from Kallen's hand radio. Kallen grabbed it and pressed the talk button.

"Yes, I hear you. Now tell me who you are and what you're doing here?"

"I'm Lieutenant Takamori. And I'm here cause the cargo you're carrying is not what you think it is," the metal man answered while taking pot shots at the V-TOL that tried to sneak closer.

"What are you talking about?" Kallen asked forcibly, finding herself dreading that their cargo was something far worse then they initially thought.

"What my Lieutenant is trying to say young lady is that you're group did not capture poisonous gas," another foreign voice answered.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Guhl Kroner. Now, I must insist you listen to me. The cargo you're carrying is very valuable to the extent that the Viceroy will order the destruction of the entire Shinjuku ghetto unless you can safely transport it to the outskirts of the town. Do you understand?"

Kallen was silent for a moment, trying to wrap her head around the new situation. First she had two complete strangers who knew her com channel. The suppose gas in the back might be something completely different. Oh, not to mention her brother was slowly bleeding to death!

"Pay attention, this isn't the time to hesitate! Takamori is going to give you a self steering device shortly. Take the device and place it on the dash board and connect to the steering wheel. Once done, I'll give you further instructions," the mysterious voice ordered. And no sooner did he say this, Kallen was suddenly startled by an object that was hastily thrown from the passenger window before she heard more rifle fire. It was apparent that Takamori was too preoccupied with keeping the aerial threat off their backs. So like instructed, she placed the device on the dashboard and hooked it up accordingly.

Once the device was placed, it immediately activated and began to increase the trucks speed.

"Excellent. Now, since your friend was mortally wounded. There is but one course of action we must take to ensure his survival. You need to unlock the false storage container. From there, I'll give you instruction to open the second. But you must hurry! The lad has only minutes to live!"

Kallen suddenly found herself trying to unlock the sphere like container, ignoring Suzuki's doubts and the growing fear of the unknown in her gut. Hell, she didn't even know what she was doing! But somehow after moments of frantically pushing random buttons, a distinct hissing sound was heard from the container. Kallen cautiously took a step back as the object opened; reveling inside not poisonous gas, but a strange coffin like object that was standing in the right up position.

"Good. Now, go to the side and I'll read the codes to you. Now it's imperative that you input the codes right on the first try or the storage unit will go into lock down for 72 hours!" Guhl warned. Kallen could now feel sweat rolling down her back. But managed to find the control panel and awaited further instructions.

"Ok, I'm ready," she said shakily.

"Just keep a steady hand and you'll be fine. Now press the F3 button on the key board to activate the process. Now, it going to give an unfinished phrase. When it appears, I want you to read it to me. Alright?"

"O..ok. The phrase says, When the Tyrant crushes me with his heel…"

"My brothers will avenge my fall," Guhl answered. Kallen quickly entered the phrase only to hear a dull female voice that sounded robotic.

"PASSWORD ACCEPTED. PLEASE STAND CLEAR…"

Kallen instinctively jumped back as the metal coffin slowly opened up, reveling inside a strange suit. The entire suit looked similar to the muscle structure of the human body with the exception of the head piece.

"Now, quickly get that suit on the lad. It's the only thing that is going to save him!" Guhl ordered over the radio. Kallen and Suzuki quickly hefted the heavy thing down next to Naoto's body, then began to carefully place him inside with Guhl giving them detail instructions.

Kallen wasn't exactly thrilled to having to strip her own brother, but the strange voice insisted that it was necessary for the suit to do its work. So after going through the embarrassing task, the two managed to secure the wounded man inside the strange suit.

"I really hope this works…" Kallen muttered, trying to ignore her red face and Suzuki's, who at the moment was having a different experience from the ordeal. One she wouldn't dare think about for the obvious reasons.

"You needn't worry about that. However, I want to give those Britannians a little gift… Takamori is going to hand you another device. Stick it in the coffin and seal it shut…"

Suddenly Kallen noticed the armored soldier was in the trailer with them, holding a smoking rifle and strange black cylinder.

"Take this. After we close this thing up, we'll escape with your Knightmare. And hopefully, once the Britannians will think they have their prize back, they should stop giving chase," he said while handing her the object. Kallen quickly grabbed it and with Takamori's help, they were able to resemble the outer shell. Once that was done, both Kallen and Suzuki climbed into the red Glouster. Obviously the machine was designed to carry only one pilot, but Kallen had this one customized so Suzuki could ride in the back with her. As for her brother and Takamori, she would have to carefully carry them in her hands.

As the group waited, Kallen took this chance to question their new allies.

"Hey… How did you guys know about this suit…"

"… I discovered that the suit was here in Japan. But I wasn't informed of its location up in till three hours ago. As for its origin and purpose, you'll just have to wait till we make it back to my ship."

Kallen eyes widen at that. A ship! Who were these people? They weren't the Japanese Liberation Front. Maybe Britannian sympathizers? However, Kallen didn't have time to muddle through her thoughts. As the truck passed through a tunnel, the group quickly abandoned their decoy…

"This is gamma one, approaching waypoint Victor," The V-TOL pilot announced, maneuvering the gunship into position.

"Very well Gamma one, maintain your position until the target comes into range. I want all gunship's to only back up Lord Gottwald and his squad," General Bartley ordered as he carefully positioned his available units on the field. Though it might have been pointless considering that his forces had already assembled themselves on the other side of the tunnel. Waiting for their allusive quarry to come to them and bring an end to this chase. Course, the one leading this entire operation was well outside the ghetto.

Viceroy Clovis la Britannia was seated comfortably on his throne as his G-1 base slowly made its way toward the Shinjuku ghetto with his own personal guard. The filthy Elevens made a horrible mistake trying to take the experimental Nano-gear. And it was only a matter of time before they would reclaim it, by any means necessary. Normally his Lord wouldn't take this course of action, as the fine arts and the various parties he'd participated in suited his taste. But if his father had found out that the Viceroy had lost the valuable suit before he was able to reverse engineer it would definitely get him disowned. Or in Bartley's case, death.

"Once we retrieve that suit, I want it under lock down until we can find a better place to study it. Oh I knew that idiot Newton couldn't keep his mouth shut when I gave him the damn thing! All he was suppose to do was unlock the case. That's it!" the Viceroy said in a lazy voice but was clearly annoyed by the whole situation, as he had been attending a party two hours prior.

"I deeply apologize my Viceroy. I'll make sure to punish him thoroughly when this whole ordeal is over with. With any luck, we'll have this wrapped up in time for lunch," Bartley reassured, knowing that these Elevens weren't capable of defending themselves in large scale combat. Most didn't even possess weapons that could bring down their Knightmare Frames aside from the JLF, and from his reports, this group only got lucky because Newton was stupid enough to leak the information into the net. And because they controlled the media, it wouldn't be too much trouble keeping this suit under wraps till they could figure out what made it tick.

"Sir! The truck is coming out!" One of the bridge commanders announced. Bartley smiled confidently. Now they could bring this thing to a close.

"Very well, engage…" Bartley ordered. As soon as the words left his lips, Gottwald's purist squad immediately open fired on the oncoming truck, riddling it with holes and turning the rig into a warped metal hulk. There was no danger to the suit in this case, as it managed to survive every type of plastic explosive in their last ditch attempt to secure it.

"Sir! There's no one here!" One of his ground squad announce, raising his concerns slightly.

"Is the directive still there?"

"Yes sir! Looks like they abandon it at the last second," the soldier replied. Bartley sighed in relief, now they could go home.

"Good work men. We'll deal with the Elevens later. Just get the package secured and head toward waypoint Oscar for further instructions."

He then turned toward Clovis who was smiling in good nature, "Well done General. Now I can go back to Linda's party without anymore rude interruptions. However, I want Lord Gottwald to assemble a team and do a sweep of the Shinjuku Ghetto. I don't want these Elevens to think I've gone soft on them…"

"Yes. Of course my Viceroy."

Kallen didn't how they managed it, but their makeshift group was able to leave the tunnels undetected and make their way toward their base. At first she was reluctant, but later she reasoned that Takamori did save their lives along with the mysterious Guhl Kroner, who claimed to be the 13th Senator of the Outcaste. The Outcaste, now it all made sense. Before Britannia went on its conquering spree, the country suffered a short civil war where tens of thousands of Britannian citizens were killed in their escape from their Emperors clutches, and for years after the incident have kept silent. Then during the invasion of Japan, the Outcaste were rumored to have sent cargo ships and ferried out thousands of Japanese from Tokyo and the surrounding areas. And since then there have been more rumors of Outcaste agents taking Japanese families to the safe haven of their country.

As far as Kallen knew, the Outcaste have hated the Britannians longer than the Japanese. So in a sense, they were allies by default. But even with this knowledge, she knew that it would be difficult to convince her friends to join Takamori. Though he did help save her brother, that also meant both her and Suzuki's opinions would be bias. So she had no choice but to let Ohgi have the last say, as he was the second in command of their small group. Takamori seemed to understand, and didn't seemed too concerned about it. Instead, he kept himself busy by monitoring her brothers' condition while receiving detailed instructions from Guhl.

"Kallen… Should we really trust them? I know they say they're Outcaste, but most will still consider them Britannian's you know?"

Kallen nodded grimly, "Yeah, I know. But we shouldn't just toss them aside. They have the resources we lack and probably the only ones out there trying to help us. The Japanese Liberation Front may despise outsiders, but to be honest, I think it's because of that we haven't even taken a step closer to reclaiming our home."

"Yeah, I think you're right. And they did save Naoto-kun with their suit. So they couldn't be all bad right? I just hope the others are just as convincing…"

Kallen hoped so too. Though she knew Ohgi would probably go for it, however, she also knew couple other individuals who more than likely wouldn't accept them so readily. She just hoped that Takamori was ready to face that hurdle alone. Even thought she supported the idea of joining him, her vote would ultimately be determined by the majority of the group.

After 30 minutes or so, they finally reached their base, which happened to be a worn down warehouse near the east side of the ghetto. After parking her unit, Kallen and Suzuki carefully stood behind Takamori while he shouldered carried Naoto inside. Course, two men wearing strange body armor was going to attract a lot attention, and it came from one Shinichiro Tamaki.

"The hell is this. Kallen! Have you've lost your mind?" he roared as he leveled his submachine gun in their direction. Quickly Kallen and Suzuki got in front of the group to block the reckless actions of their teammate.

"Listen! The tin looking one just saved Naoto and helped us escape from being blown to hell!"

"Yeah, so put that damn thing down!" Suzuki shouted to a rather confused Tamaki.

"Wait. What happened? And where's Naoto?"

"He's in the suit. Now, before we make introductions. Would you gentlemen mind finding a suitable spot to lay him down? I need to reboot his systems properly," Takamori replied calmly in Japanese, surprising everyone including Kallen.

"Wait, you can speak our language?" Kallen asked while the armored warrior carefully set her brother down under the watchful eye of Tamaki and the rest.

"Yeah I do, thanks to my late mother. Actually most Outcaste can speak multiple languages since we harbored not just the Japanese, but many other conquered nations as well," Takamori replied. Kallen was surprised to learn that Takamori was a half-breed like her with a Japanese mother. But these thoughts were interrupted as the rest of her group began to form around them, with Ohgi appearing shortly after. Kallen, after settling the group down, was able to give details on what happened on their mission. After a few minutes of short introductions, Kallen ended it with Takamori's proposition in joining his battle group.

"It would help us in the long run Ohgi. We need all the help we can get, and they have everything we need. But it's your call."

The young man thought for a moment, but instead of giving an immediate answer, he turned his attention to the soldier and asked, "How's Naoto doing?"

Takamori shook his head, "This guy's been through a lot. That damn gunship nearly tore him in half. The suit is working overtime to repair the damaged organs and tissue and the power source will be compromised until the process is complete. In other words he'll be completely helpless in the next hour or so. But he'll live. Though it may take some time before we'll be able to remove the suit from his body…"

"Wait, what happens if we remove it prematurely?"

"He would die. Plain and simple," Takamori said darkly, causing everyone in the group to gasp.

"You telling us that thing is the only thing keeping alive? What the fuck is that suit anyway. Wait, forget that. Who the fuck are you and what do you guys want?" Tamaki said in an irritated matter, as his low tolerance for stress was now hitting the max point.

"Tamaki!" Inoue abashed. Takamori however didn't seem to mind.

"Very well. I believe a full introduction is in order. But before that, I have a question for Kururugi-san…"

The entire group suddenly went silent, how did this guy know Suzuki's last name? Kallen wanted to know, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"How did you know my last name?" Suzuki asked nervously, but Takamori than did a series of hand signals to her, and almost immediately, Suzuki eyes widen in recognition.

"Where did you…?"

"I remember back when we used to play at the shrine, Nunnally and Luluko would make flower crowns. And I'm certain that Suzaku and I were arguing about one thing or another…" Takamori said softly. Kallen swore she heard the name Nunnally before from her school, but couldn't figure out why. Suzuki however had tears in her eyes and was slowly walking toward Takamori with a hopeful expression.

"Lu-kun… Is that you…"

Takamori didn't say anything, but instead pressed a button on his helmet, making it hiss for a moment before removing it, revealing a young man her age with jet black hair and piercing lavender eyes.

"It's been a long time Suzuki-chan," the young man managed to say before the 16 year old girl in question practically tackled him to the ground in eye-watering joy.

"Lu-kun! It's you! It's really you!" she wailed, clinging onto him as if fearing he would disappear any second if she didn't. The whole group watched in silence as the young man tried to calm down Suzuki, stroking her hair in a soothing matter. After a few moments of this, Ohgi finally took a step forward and offered his hand.

"So you're Lelouch? Suzuki has told me a lot about you, but I never expected to meet you like this."

Lelouch shook it with this spare hand, "Indeed. But I thank you for taking care of Suzuki all these years. When Britannia attacked so suddenly. I was afraid something terrible may have happened…"

Kallen knew he wasn't lying, she could see it in his eyes. It was relief, not as overly emotional like Suzuki, but she could tell that Lelouch was very glad to see her again, even to go as far as reveal his identity. Though in hindsight, this act might have served a dual purpose to have them join him.

After Lelouch calmed down Suzuki, he told the group his tale of what occurred during those terrible days, on how he and the Japanese refugees were saved by the Outcaste naval fleet that willingly sacrificed itself to ensure their safety, and the past few years training and becoming a Shadow Marshal. Kallen was so overwhelmed by his accomplishments that she almost forgot that he was only 17 like her. But what she didn't understand was why he was so insistent on keeping his identity a secret up till now? If he had done it earlier, most of the distrust and sidestepping around could have easily been avoided.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were earlier Lu-kun? I was scared to death that you were a Britannian spy or something," Suzuki pouted, a side that Kallen rarely saw. Lelouch's eyes became steely and his voice hard.

"I sorry for the deception before, but I couldn't risk Nunnally's life if things went astray. My father thinks we're dead now, but if he caught wind of us being alive, he wouldn't hesitate to have us assassinated on the spot."

"Wait, why would your own father would want you dead?" Ohgi asked with concern. Suzuki gave Lelouch a look that asked if she should explain the situation. Lelouch shook his head.

"I'm sorry. But for now, I need to keep that information as low key as possible until we reach my ship. Once we get there, I'll tell you guys the whole story."

"That may have to wait a little longer lad. Cause it looks like the Britannians are on the move…" Guhl's voice said suddenly from Lelouch's helmet. The young man quickly got up and placed it back on his head.

"What's going on sir? What are they doing?"

"Looks like the jacking has left them sour. I managed to hack their com channels and it appears they're currently performing a sweep right now. Thankfully they are just going door to door. No shots have been fired… yet. So I strongly recommend that you assemble your new squad and await Lieutenant Washington for back up. Lord knows you're going to need it."

Tamaki nearly went ballistic when he heard this, "Now hold on a goddamn minute! Who said we're joining you? Yeah it's all fine and dandy that Suzuki found her long lost lover and all, but we didn't agree to fight with you did we?"

"Tamaki!" Suzuki yelled while blushing furiously, but then Naoto raised his hand from the ground to get everyone's attention.

"Brother! Don't move just yet, let the suit do its work," Kallen tried to say, but Naoto was already in the process of getting up.

"We're joining Lelouch and his team…" He said weakly, his voice somewhat distorted from the helmet he now wore.

"Naoto, are you sure? We don't know a thing about these guys!" Tamaki tried to reason, but soon realized that most of the group had already agreed.

"We'll be fine Tamaki. Ohgi, get everything ready to move out. We're taking everything we can carry and wait for the transport," Naoto ordered. His gaze then fell on Lelouch, who was now preparing his rifle in case a fight broke out. Lelouch seemed to understand that Naoto was now giving him command of the group and nodded his head.

"Alright guys. Two V-TOL drop ships will be here in 10 minutes. Now, as long as where in the combat zone, everyone needs to refer to me as Saigo Takamori. I don't need assassins gunning me down. Is that clear?" Lelouch ordered. After a brief pause, everyone in the group verbally agreed. Kallen could see that Lelouch was going to take charge from now on. But what was going to happen to the people they were leaving behind? Naoto seemed to notice her discomfort and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be alright. Guhl plans on fighting the Britannians on our way out. You guys will take the first transport with our gear while Takamori and I take the second and his squad."

Kallen suddenly felt panic rise in her chest, "Baka! You almost died two hours ago! And now you're going to go out to fight! No! I refuse to let you go out there!"

"Kallen… As the leader, I need to show my worth to Takamori. Show them that we're not weak. I would have you guys join us, but we're ill-equipped to go against Knightmare's. So just gather your things. I'll meet you guys back later alright?"

Kallen looked away in mix anger. She wasn't the type to just and say that she didn't care about any of that. All she wanted was for her brother to be safe, and not out running around getting himself killed all over again. But he'd made his decision, and there was nothing she could do to deter him.

"Fine. But if you get killed out there, I'll never forgive you…" Kallen replied, her voice cracking as she desperately tried to keep back unwanted sorrow and worry that was engulfing her. But Naoto silenced it all with a simple hug. As she felt his warm embrace, Kallen slowly calmed down.

"I'll be fine Kallen. Now get going. We only have 5 minutes…"

About east of the Ghetto, another group had been dispatched. Guhl had informed these men the situation hours prior, and since had been laying in wait for their prey. Their commander wore an Onyx black power armor that strongly resembled gothic armor of the 15th century, while his helmet was similar to a horse skull with horns. Crimson eyes showed menacingly as he mentally calculated the odds against him. And thus far, all was very favorable. The Viceroy was a pampered brat whom lacked any and all military and political skills, relying heavily on his babysitters to do his dirty work. And his commanders were just as lazy and incompetent as he was. On top of that, they were so used to shooting unarmed civilians and weakly armed terrorized that any combat skills they may have acquired over their lifetime were now meaningless. As the old saying goes, those whom hunt the weak become weak. And he was the predator. Only his goal wasn't to defeat the Viceroy's men. Oh no, he had other plans for the little fool.

"Commander Zero. Takamori's squad is on the move and plan on confronting the Purist squad. Shall we assist?"

Zero's eyes glowed even redder as his blood began to boil for the rush of combat. He'll let the ex-prince deal with the Purist maggots. He was more than capable of that. He on the other hand had a bigger prize. One that will catch the attention of all the people of Japan, both native and foreign.

"No. I have a much better idea. Loki, is that pompous fool still around?"

"If you mean the Viceroy, then yes sir. It would appear the case they found had a banshee bomb in it. The device took out a good chunk of the science building and probably everyone inside. I suspect the Viceroy is very annoyed by this prospect," Loki informed; his voice cold and indifferent. Zero smiled darkly, Guhl's little package went off sooner than the old man expected, but that meant Prince Clovis would more than likely tear the entire ghetto apart to find his prize. Civilian deaths may occur, but that outcome meant very little to him. All that it meant was his quarry would be nearby. Ready to be sacrificed so that the Emperor would turn his head towards him. To acknowledge him; and importantly, to fear him.

"Our target is the Viceroy. We capture the Prince, the attacks will stop. Loki, I'm counting on you to make the switch."

Zero could practically feel his subordinate smile at this order. Unlike the rest of his men, Loki was an assassin. One whom had his face removed and his limbs replaced so he could impersonate anyone through physical appearance. Though he did have a limitation. One, they had to be male. And their physical mass had to be within the 150 to 250 lb range. Another trait Loki possessed was the little device he called an extractor, which he would use to gain vital information and memories from his victims. They would survive of course, but some would receive sever spinal damage, as the device was forced into the spinal column close to the skull. A very painful process.

Though the switch with the Prince would probably be risky, Zero was confident that his assassin would manage. He did in the past, so there was very little reason why that would change now.

"We'll set a trap. Once Takamori gains their attention, we'll cut down any who stand in our way. Once Loki and I secure the Prince, we'll fall back slowly and make the filthy maggots think they've won. Is everyone clear?"

"Yes sir. But what about civilians sir? There's a rather large number of them here," His second Lieutenant cautioned. Zero however rolled his eyes.

"Fuck them…"

Author notes: Sorry for the long wait, my computer caught a virus and it took me some time to find someone on a short notice and who was willing to do it for cheap. Looking forward to your reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

It had been an hour since Naoto's faction left, leaving him with Kallen's Knightmare and whatever Takamori's squad had on hand. They just got word that the bomb that they planted had already gone off, making the Britannians justifiably pissed. So the crackdown was momentarily postponed so the Britannians could muster all their units and wipe out the entire area. Thankfully Guhl had the sense to send a very graphic warning to all who lived in the area, giving them some time to evacuate before the storm came. Right now, the plan seemed to consist of using hit-and-run tactics while buying time for the populace to vacate the area. It was a simple plan. But Takamori made it clear that the suit was their main priority. That said, if Naoto was endangered in anyway, they would retreat immediately. This left Naoto no choice but to provide back up. But that was just as well, because the moment he became conscious, the suit was going through a series of sequences involving his DNA structure. He felt strange, but it seemed to lessen the pain he had been experiencing earlier.

"Naoto. I know this is going to make Kallen-san furious, but we need to find more fire power. Guhl says there is a cargo train with factory fresh Sutherlands nearby. I need you to intercept while we provide back up," Lelouch informed.

"Understood. Making my way there now," Naoto confirmed as he moved his machine forward, using his new abilities to find his quarry. Takamori meanwhile followed close behind with two LRV's armed with Gauss cannon's.

Suddenly, a robotic voice spoke inside his mind.

"_**Integrating new DNA profile; initializing… Capability registered; diagnostics complete. All systems online. Ready to deploy; current user, Lieutenant Naoto Kouzuki."**_

That caught him off guard. Did this suit come with an A.I.?

"_**You are correct. I'm an A.I. program; call sign Alcatraz. Now, pay close attention. The following will teach you how to use this Nano gear effectively against your enemy. Are you ready?"**_

"Eh…Sure?" Naoto answered hesitantly; for he never expected that the suit was capable of such things. Hell, technology of this caliber was completely unheard of! No wonder the Britannians were so desperate!

"_**You're correct in your assessment. Now, let us begin…"**_

Suddenly, Naoto's vision became blurred for a split second before he saw his HUD display change. Details of what was going on outside and information of his Knightmare began to dance around in front of him while waypoints and triangles of far away targets appeared in his line of vision.

"_**System override… Systems online… Warning! Threat detected… The tactical visor provides increase battlefield awareness. Scan for targets and tactical opportunities. In combat, you can paint targets when they get within your range. Furthermore, this mode will extract information as fast as you can think. So please keep that in mind."**_

"_**For the time being, this is the only mode you'll need for now. I'll unlock the others when the time is appropriate. Good luck, and please, don't get yourself killed…"**_

"Gee. Thanks for the vote of confidence," Naoto grumbled as he sighted the targets in question. There were two Britannian Knightmares providing cover as the ground soldiers began to make their sweep. Naoto knew if they left them alone, the soldiers would start killing Japanese civilians. But they were outnumbered, and out gunned. They needed to get the train as quickly as possible!

"Takamori-san. I'm loading a route to the next way point for the train. I'll stop it there and wait for you guys," Naoto transmitted quickly before taking off.

"Understood. We'll be right behind you," Takamori replied. Naoto didn't waste any time. With the help of his tactical visor, it was mere minutes when he found the train and stopped it in its tracks. Once this was done, he scanned the area until his team caught up a few minutes later. In the train were around 12 fully armed Knightmares with enough firepower to make a decent stance against their enemy.

"Excellent, this is going to help greatly. Now, I'm going act as a forward observer and give you Intel from Guhl. You guys take positions at way point Mike and Delta and destroy any units you come across. Remember, we're only buying time for the civilians to get clear. Naoto, I want you to lead team Ruby. Washington will lead Team Topaz. Is everyone clear?"

"Understood. What about the LRV's?" Naoto asked as his men began to assemble behind him.

"Wash will lead them in his squad and use them for blitz attacks. I'll have you provide backup in case they get overwhelmed. I'll swap both squads when necessary. Alright, let's move out!"

Almost as soon as the group deployed, a light armor unit and two Knightmares appeared to investigate the stopped train. Naoto's vision and mind suddenly went into overdrive. With a brief though, he quickly executed a surprise attack by throwing a grenade at the light armor while using the explosion to cover his next attack on the Knightmares. With a short burst of his rifle, Naoto managed to destroy one unit while the other panicked and ejected before he could finish the Britannian off. But it didn't slow down from there; for two blocks away his tactical visor picked up Britannian soldiers rounding up Japanese civilians to be executed. Naoto didn't even bother informing Takamori of his plans and just sped off, using his new abilities to intercept the ground soldiers before a single shot was made. However, using his unit so close to people would have been dangerous, so instead, he stopped just short of the group and dismounted.

"**System override. Using Maximum Armor will increase your survivability in combat. It can deflect small arms and absorb damage. Be warned however, each hit drains suit energy. So do us both a favor and move your ass!"** the A.I. roared. Naoto didn't need to be told twice, being shot by a gunship today was more than enough thank you very much! But in armor mode, his movements were sluggish, leaving him no choice but to get hit!

"**System override. Alright Marine. Use your Maximum Power mode to move quickly and neutralize you enemies. Now move like you've got a purpose in life!"**

Naoto quickly used his new ability to literally run around the soldiers and disarm them. Once that was taken care of, he started tossing them around like ragged dolls as he placed well aimed punches and kicks. Most died from his bare fist, the lucky few had their bones broken. The Japanese watched the whole thing in horror, not sure on what to think or what to do.

"This area is now a combat zone! All civilians are to evacuate immediately!" Naoto bellowed with the help of his voice filter which made his sound voice deeper, metallic, and dangerous. Once the Japanese scattered, Naoto finally became aware that Takamori was trying to hail him.

"This is Alcatraz reporting," Naoto began only to hear Takamori obvious rage.

"God damn it Alcatraz! Stop playing the hero and get your ass back here!" Naoto winced slightly. He hadn't intended to be gone that long, but now he was about 1 mile from his original position. Quickly he got back in his mech and made it to his squad. Takamori simply told him to stay put, clearly peeved about earlier. Now his attempt to impress him were now in jeopardy.

"Don't take it too hard," Washington suddenly said on a private channel, "The boss just got worried is all. Just play it by the book and we'll all make it home. You got that kid?"

"Yeah I got you. But I'm not all that used to sitting around too long."

"Heh. You'll get use to it. Only fools charge blindly, let them come to us; then we'll just pick them off one by one. If we can make them look bad, then their own people will lose faith and the Japanese moral will go through the roof," Wash reasoned as they waited for further instructions. However, none came. All was very still in their area. But Naoto could see the enemy moving about on his tactical visor, only to see from time to time one or two suddenly disappear without a trace…

15 minutes earlier, inside the G-1 base…

"Those filthy Elevens! To think they dare make a mockery of me?!" The young prince fumed on his throne. What should have been a clear Britannian victory turned into a far worse headache then he could ever imagine. The Nano suit was clearly in the hands of the Elevens and he knew it had to be somewhere in his ghetto. With the threat of being stripped of his title, it was clear on what he had to do. He would simply destroy this moth ball of a city and reclaim what was rightly his. Course, he couldn't let these maggots get off so easy. Oh no. Clovis had every intention of making an example of these Elevens.

"General Asprius! We've have multiple contacts in sector 3!" one of the aides announced in a panicked voice. Clovis frowned at this. What on earth was going on?

"Then what is the problem? Eliminate them and continue the sweep," the prince replied in a bored fashion. However, when the aide looked at him with terror in his eyes, it was quite clear that something was a foot. Quickly he moved the useless aide aside and looked at the tactical monitor, only to realize the problem. Most of his ground units that he'd sent to sweep the area were already wiped out or scattered. The Knightmare units that were suppose to provide cover fire were immediately picked off when they entered the area, leaving him with only his guard unit. Normally a sweep didn't need a standard battalion to do the job, so Clovis suddenly found himself with no units to continue the mission without putting himself at risk. But the suit needed to be recaptured at all cost!

"Where's Sir Gottwald and his squad?!" Clovis demanded as he nervously witness two more units get eliminated.

"They reported being attacked from sector 8. Something about strange Knightmares…"

"What!? Why didn't any of you report this!" General Bartely roared in anger, activating one the monitors to get better view of what was going on. The moment he did, the entire room went into dead silence as they saw the mech's in question come into view. The monster stood 8 meters tall and was more humanly shaped than their own Knightmares. Its 4 red sensors glowed anomalously as it towered over its opponent, holding what looked like a large gun blade that looked similar to a claymore. Then static followed after the mech struck down their unit.

"What the devil was that?!" Clovis demanded as his command began to panic.

"Unknown! But we have another problem! The enemy seemed to know where our units are! We keep sending our men to their positions and they get ambushed!"

"They must be hacking our communication channels! Change the communication codes!" Bartely ordered as nervous sweat began to done his balding head.

"We have sir! We've done it 3 times already but they seem to know where our units are regardless. No matter what order we give our men, they are completely helpless. Even the Purist squad has been neutralized.

Now Clovis was beginning to become concern. How could these terrorist be winning? That was impossible! Even they managed to activate the Nano gear, the suit wouldn't be able to incur this much damaged so quickly! Suddenly more reports began to appear near sector 9. The location where his base was…

"What the devil are you men doing? Can't you finish these Elevens off!" Clovis said with rage.

"We're trying my lord! But they somehow managed to procure a marginal force and now are pushing us back! And we have reports that the forces coming towards us have breached our sector!" The aide said in a panic voice. It was like his world was crashing down around him. How could this happen?

"Sir, the enemy units from sector 8 has already eliminated the rear guard! We have no units left to protect the G-1!"

"Dammit! Pull units from the line and get them here now!" Bartely ordered, but suddenly there was a very violent explosion that rocked the entire base, flinging the officers around like rag dolls. Clovis managed to cling to his seat to avoid this but that became moot when the entrance door was blast open. His men bravely brandished their weapons to confront the enemy, but were quickly cut down by automatic fire. Clovis now found himself alone.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Clovis ordered, and what he saw next made his skin crawl. It was himself, down to the last strand of hair. The copy had a cold smile on his face as soldiers in black armor began to sweep the area, and he immediately recognized who they were. Helghast!

"It would seem you have lost… Now, hold still. There's something I need to gleam before I take you…" the copy said softly as his cold hand snaked around his neck. Suddenly Clovis felt like something pierced his neck and sent intense pain throughout his entire body as if his nerves were set aflame from hell itself, then darkness consumed him…

As Loki allowed his men to carry the injured prince, he carefully placed himself on the throne and looked at his sergeant, "Be sure to miss the heart, I want to make this believable as possible."

The soldier nodded and took careful aim. The pain was intense, but it quickly deaden when the nano machines shut his nerves down momentarily, and instead gave him a numb feeling instead. Two rounds in the stomach, two in the right leg, and one in the left soldier that shattered his blade. Yes, these wounds should be severe enough to deter any questions. Now all he had to do was wait for the cavalry. With his commander taking the prince back to the homeland, this mission proved to be more successful than they had anticipated. Even the brat managed to lead his team effectively to push the Britannian's away from the civilians and still retrieved the Nano gear. Now all he had to do was play his part…

So far, the mission had been successful. With the combine force of Lieutenant Washington and Naoto, it was mere child's play to push the enemy back. But what concerned Lelouch was only after an hour of fighting, the enemy suddenly made a hasty retreat.

"Guhl, what's going on? Clovis wouldn't retreat with so much at stake!"

"The battle's over son. Gather your men and assemble them at way point Oscar."

"Now wait just a minute!" Lelouch roared, but Guhl had already cut off the transmission, leaving him rather pissed.

"Damn old man. All units! We're done here, assemble at way point Oscar. We're going home."

"But sir! What about the Britannians!" Wash suddenly broke in, clearly outraged as he was.

"The Britannians are retreating so our job is done. Now let's go before they come back," Lelouch ordered. More grumbling filtered through the comms before everyone began to move. Lelouch could understand their frustration. The danger of retaliation toward the Japanese civilians was still there, and not all of them would be willing to leave their homes, even if it meant certain death. This was all they had.

But he needed to get Naoto and the nano gear back home to be studied, and hopefully be able to get the suit off without killing the wearer. So like it or not, that was his top priority. Quickly they made their way towards the waypoint where two V-TOL carriers were waiting. Course, neither was capable of carrying very large equipment, so Lelouch ordered the Gauss cannons removed from the ground vehicles and the rest destroyed. Within minutes, they were airborne and made their way towards Lelouch's ship, the Shadow of Intent.

Authors note: Sorry for the long wait. Work has been hell. But the bright side is I got promoted, so it all worked in the end. The next chapter should be a little longer than this one. Please review, you input does matter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"This ship is amazing!" Suzuki said excitedly while observing the hanger technicians move heavy equipment about. Echo's of communication chatter filled the background of the hanger while heavy sounds of mech's filled the air. It was breath taking that so much technology would be housed on such a small ship. Kallen however wasn't paying any attention. Unlike her, Kallen was frowning with worry as she waited for her brother to return. Suzuki couldn't blame her for that, but being a mech pilot herself, it sort of surprised her that Kallen wouldn't be slightly interested on what was going around her. Then again, Suzuki had complete trust in Lelouch. He hadn't changed all that much since their childhood days. In fact, he was better! He was more handsome, intelligent, and his growing body had formed into that of a first class soldier, making her mind wander to what he actually look like without his armor… Course these thoughts would make her blush and quickly she would make an attempt to put them aside. But what was a woman her age going to do?

"Attention all hands! Once the Lieutenant Major comes on board, we'll be performing a crash dive! Please have all equipment in lock down in the next 10 minutes," came the sudden announcement. Now the hanger became really animated. Everyone began to park everything in place and shout instructions to each other in a hurried matter. What was going on?

"Kallen? What's going on?" Suzuki asked, starting to feel worried that trouble was brewing.

"I don't know. But they were just talking about Lelouch just now. So that means they did it! They're coming back!" she replied in relief. Suzuki also calmed down at her words, knowing that if Lelouch was coming back, then everything else would be fine. Suddenly, and officer caught their attention near one of the exits.

"Sorry to intrude but your comrades are getting a little antsy without your presence. I'll steer the commander and Alcatraz to you once they get debriefed."

"Thank you," Suzuki said politely before following him with Kallen. The group was sitting in a conference room with a round table and leather chairs. Nothing in terms of décor save for the white vase that sat empty in the center of the table.

"Yeesh. Guess they don't use this room very much…" Kallen commented as she took a seat while Suzuki took one next to her. After small talk that mostly referred to what they should do next, the entire area shook for a moment, causing the group to stir.

"The hell was that?!" Tamaki said in a panic tone. This was answered shortly by the announcer, only this time it was voiced by a robotic male voice.

"Attention all hands. The Commander and our men are safely on board. Please prepare for crash dive. All combat personal please be on standby until code yellow has been lifted. All other personnel are to remain at your station until instructed otherwise."

Shortly after a loud alarm began to blare around them, forcing the group to cover their ears as the lights immediately turn red and more violent movement began to shack the entire ship.

"The fuck they mean by crash dive?! This ship's suppose to fly right?" Tamaki asked to no avail as the alarm drowned him out. Suzuki and the rest of the group however were thinking the same question. But with no one there to inform them, they were forced to wait for the outcome, which came fairly quickly. First if felt like the entire room lost gravity for a minute, like the feeling you get from a moving evaluator. Then it stopped, only to have the room tilt slightly followed by a low rumbling sound that echoed the entire area. Then came the creaking sounds of metal being pushed by some invisible force. Then silence. Suzuki could feel herself become unnerved by the silence; as it reminded her of a time where she explored an area with the same atmosphere only to find why later. The only thing that it lacked was the horrible smell of decaying flesh, which she was thankful for. Then for what it seem like hours, the lights slowly flickered back on again and the red lights turned off.

"Good news, we've managed to leave undetected. We are now code yellow and all non-combat personel are allowed to assume your duties. Commander Takamori and Lueitenant Washington. You are wanted at conference room 149."

Suzuki quickly glanced at the doorway and saw that it was indeed their room. It was only a few minutes that Lelouch and Naoto came in still dressed in their combat gear.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. But the mission was a success. The Britannians will be too busy licking their wounds to be harassing the people in the Shinjuku area," Lelouch announced cheerfully, or as cheerful as a soldier who just got back from the field.

"So… What happens now? Are we now part of your squad?" Ohgi asked as they took a seat. After Lelouch had nestle himself in his chair, he nodded.

"Yes. Though there will be some training before we can send you on a mission. All of you are now certified soldiers of the Outcaste temporary army."

"The hell you mean temporary!" Tamaki burst forth, reseiveing an angry glare from Suzuki.

"It was decided a while back that once Japan was liberated that the people we've harbored in our lands and our military can return to their original lives. We've also made the same arrangements with the other conquered areas as well. The only catch however is that the countries the Outcaste liberate will be part of a United Nation to deter the Britannians from doing the same thing again. As well as a small tax with a set time limit to make up the resources used during their stay."

"Tch, so there is something in for you after all?!" Tamaki hissed in anger. Lelouch stayed silent for the moment, rubbing his temples in a tired fashion.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not a politician. If you want better details, feel free to ask the Japanese Overseer in New Tokyo. And as for your leader Naoto, we'll do what we can to safely remove the suit from his body. But for now let's rest. It's going to take a least a day to return so feel free to roam around. As for me, I'm going to get some shut eye…"

And with that, Lelouch left. Suzuki quickly followed after him without saying a word, leaving the group somewhat stunted on what to do.

"Well, so much on filling us in on how he got booted from the motherland," Tamaki spat in disgust.

"That's enough Tamaki. What happen in his past is his to reveal. We've already given our allegiance to him so dwelling into his past isn't going to accomplish anything. Or would you rather drill Suzuki-san for that information?"

Tamaki flushed in shame. Naoto knew that Tamaki had a small crush on Suzuki for some time. And now that she found her old friend from the past who happened to be an exiled Britannian prince, Tamaki was bitter with jealously. But even he wouldn't be so stupid as to ask Suzuki such a personal question without serious consequence on his part.

"So sorry to intrude, but I figured since your group is somewhat stuck on what to do, I've decided to lend you my assistance," Guhl suddenly appeared on the screen across the room.

"Huh, so that's what you look like," Ohgi commented as everyone turned their attention towards Guhl.

"Not exactly my dear boy. I only take this form to keep my true identity a secret. Only Lelouch's father knows my true face."

"Wait, I thought his old man was the King?!" Tamaki stated, now confused. Guhl however just shook his head.

"As does Lelouch, in truth however, that boy's true father was one the founders of the Outcaste before the rebellion occurred. It was only recently that we've discovered his true origin and I've just informed him of this discovery… And like I feared, he was rather shocked… The man he thought was his flesh and blood now has no ties to him what's so ever."

"But isn't that a good thing? Wouldn't that mean he could fight without restraint?" Kallen asked, not sure where the problem was in this situation. Guhl however rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"It's not that. Knowing that his real father was Templar was easy. It's just his father's origins that drew the true concern. And I'm afraid that information his classified until Lelouch says otherwise. Sorry, but it's a delicate matter. I just hope your friend Suzuki can bring him out of his slump."

"Don't tell me he's having a identity crises?! How are we suppose to follow someone who can't shrug something off?" Tamaki asked in a annoyed fashion, only to get a very scary calculating look from Guhl.

"Tell me boy, if I had proof that you were a Britannian, a half breed like this young lady, how would you feel? Nothing right? Well, suppose it was something one step further, that question your entire existence? That's the issue plaguing our young commander at the moment, and only he can get through with it…

Meanwhile…

Course that was easier said than done. Lelouch was thrilled that his real father was Templar, and not Charles. What caused him to be all shook up was the fact that he was a half human of some sort while the other half was a Blood elf, a humanoid that had close relations to the fictional creature the vampire. So what was he? He sat there think while Suzuki was trying to figure out the same question. She insisted on hearing what Guhl had to say, and now was in a similar state of shock as Lelouch was. And who could blame her? But strangely she didn't leave. No look of disgust. Just the same sisterly worried expression she wore when faced with a problem that she couldn't fix right away.

So there they sat in his office, not looking at each other. Just an awkward silence that would make anyone leave the area. But they stayed.

"Suzuki… You can leave if you want," Lelouch said finally, not wanting to burden her with his problem, but instead she just sat closer.

"I'm not going anywhere. We've been separated for so long I'm not going to let this ruin it now. And as far as I'm concern, your still you; so what you're half alien. You're still the same boy I had a crush on for years…"

That definitely brought color to Lelouch's face. Sure he had girls at school confessed to him before. But when it was coming from a girl that matter to him, it held more weight. And with his strange feelings as of late, he wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Suzuki," was all he was able to say before the girl in question pushed him on the sofa and got on top, looking at him with her emerald green eyes that shined with raw emotion.

"Lu-kun, I've been holding these feelings for so long that it's been suffocating me. And now that we're together again, I'm not going to let anything get in my way. I don't care if you have a girlfriend or a lover. Right now, I just want to relay those feelings to you now, in a way that I've been yearning for so long…"

Before Lelouch could even resist, all of that evaporated when Suzuki kissed him. He'd forgotten how soft a girl lips could feel, especially against his. And before he realized it, he'd wrapped his arms around his childhood friend and hugging her tightly, kissing her more deeply, and turning his childhood friend into his new lover.

Suzuki wasn't holding back either, for when they broke away for a moment to catch their breaths, she began to peel off his gear. Lelouch knew exactly where this was going, but against his better judgment, he began to deactivate his armor, then remove his Kevlar suit, then finally his clothes. Suzuki stared at his naked body for quite some time, like one would stare at erotic art. Her face was flushed with desire, and with his assistance, she too began to peel off her clothes. When Lelouch looked at her, she was no longer the cute little tomboy of the past. She was a woman, down to the last sexy curve on her athletic legs. Her breast weren't that large, but it fit her athletic body almost perfectly. Her brownish curly shoulder length hair seemed to make her eyes gleam brighter. Her slightly tannish skin looked warm and welcoming. As they drank each other's presence, Lelouch took a step forward and caressed her cheek in an affectionate way, making her blush even redder as she held it with her hands.

"No regrets Lelouch. Just the two of us. Now my prince, take me away," Suzuki said softly as she led him back to the black sofa, letting get on top of her and continue the erotic dance that began to consume them both. The air was thick with their sighs of pleasure; their skin was moist with sweat and desire. Lelouch practically had to mentally control himself so he wouldn't be too rough on her, for as he began to explore her body with his tongue, her elegant flower began to twitch with anticipation and lust. She was a virgin, and as such, he was determined to make sure her first would be one to remember. Lelouch himself lost his virginity to C.C. a while back. Then from there had a fling or two with girls who just wanted to sleep with him, making his fame as a stud go like wildfire across the school, much to Shirley's annoyance.

"L…Lu-kun! Please!" she begged. But he'd ignored them, knowing that if he rushed it there would be a lot of pain. So he patiently caressed her body, relaxing every muscle and nerve until she eventually lost control and came right before his eyes. He never saw anything so erotic. It was nothing like his other affairs and it came real close to what C.C. was able to accomplish. He could smell Suzuki's sweet fragrance as it trickled between her thighs. As she calmed down, she gazed up at him and smiled.

"That was wonderful Lu-kun. Now, finish me. Make me yours."

Lelouch didn't know what came over him, but the sensation had only one goal, to make this young women his. As he put himself into position, he continued to pleasure her body, sucking on her swollen nipples till she was gasping; touching her sensitive areas that made her toes curl. And right when he knew she was going to cum a second time, he gave a powerful thrust and broke through the barrier that once made her a maiden. Lelouch knew Suzuki came at that moment cause he could feel moister engulf him as her vaginal muscles clenched around him tightly, ignoring the deep scratches across his back. He waited patiently as Suzuki body became accustom to his girth, gently kissing away her tears. Once she had calmed down, she began to move with him in slow thrust. Lelouch could see the desired affects take place as Suzuki's eyes became clouded with lust and her moans of pleasure engulfed the room. Soon, Lelouch found himself losing control as pleasure began to overtake him. Soon the thrusts were deeper, the rhythm became faster, and the lust began to take them both to heights they'd never dreamed of.

"Lu-kun! Don't stop!" Suzuki cried out in passion as both sat up right with her sitting on his lap, the sound of their flesh beating against each other. Lelouch could feel sweet oblivion coming toward them like an unstoppable train. Suzuki's womanly sheath was clenching around his sword tightly, and he suddenly felt the urge to bite her neck in lust.

"Lu-kun! I'm..I'm!" Then it came. Lelouch felt his body move on its own as his teeth dug into Sukuzi's flesh. She came the same time he did and let out an orgasmic cry that could have been heard above water. Lelouch could feel his seed shoot into his lover, causing her to cum repeatedly and grip around him tightly, biting his neck as well. Once the waves of Oblivion past, the two of them laid in each other's arms, kissing each other in an affectionate way. And as he gazed into the eyes of his new lover, Lelouch suddenly became fully aware of two things. One, Suzuki's ears were slightly more pointed then they were a moment ago, and he could have sworn he saw fangs in her lustful smile.

Authors note:

This chapter was suppose to be with chapter 5, but I hit a writers block and couldn't figure out how to connect the two. Finally I said fuck it and cut the chapter in two. Hope you guys enjoyed the lemon. That was actually the first one I ever wrote lol. Please review as always.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Attention all hands. We'll be arriving in two hours. Security is now level 2. Please have all equipment ready for maintenance and replacement," the officer announced over the intercom. Kallen managed to pry herself from her teammates to look around the vessel, taking in to what might be her new home. Now that her brother was safe and sound, she began to appreciate the technology that Suzuki spoke of earlier. The mech's that the Outcaste use were indeed very different then the Britannians. But there was one that caught her eye. It was ugly, plain and simple. The head look very similar to a frog, while its body was conned shaped. Its arms were small and stubby looking and its legs were only slightly larger because of the extra armor. Despite its appearance, it was an original design that had potential in its own way.

"Wanna know about the unit?" Kallen turned to see an attractive female in a flight suit. Her golden blond hair was braided into a small bun and her green eyes had a playful look about them, putting her at ease.

"Yes, actually I would. It's hideous but its design is very solid.

"Yeah, that would be the Savage. These units were one the first HFT's made after the split. They were originally design to combat the Britannian Glasgows, but due to material shortages at the time, many of the first units were made cheaply and in bulk. The second generations were upgraded considerably, but its overall platform hasn't change that much. The units we have are A.I. driven and often used as cannon fodder."

"Rather expensive for cannon fodder wouldn't you say?" Kallen commented as she circled the unit, looking at it from every angle.

"Not really. Most units were recycled from the older models. Actually most front line units were recycled, while others were sold to other countries, particularly the E.U. Now they serve as the basic light units."

"I see, pity our nation didn't take advantage of that. Oh, I'm Kallen Kouzuki by the way."

"And I'm Miho Yamamoto," she replied cheerfully as she shook Kallen's hand. Kallen was somewhat surprised about her name, as she looked like a Britannian noblewomen. However, upon closer inspection, she realized that her eyes were slightly slanted, and her face had a tint of Asian descent.

"Are you half Japanese too?"

"Yup! On my father's side. It's kinda embarrassing to retell but my parents eloped when they were sixteen well before the split. And well, the rest is history," she giggled. Kallen could feel some sense of connection with this girl. The only difference was that her parents stuck together to the end while her father just up and left, forcing her mother to be a maid and remarried to a women who was bent on making their lives a living hell.

After some small talk, Kallen learned that Miho was part of Lelouch's guard unit, piloting a Gernback M9, a Fifth generation HFT. She excelled in sniper combat and recon, and knew a fair amount of hand to hand combat like herself. Miho later showed her unit that was housed separate from the others, along with three other units that caught her eye.

"What unit are those?" Kallen asked in awe while staring at the midnight colored unit that looked similar to Miho's M9.

"That's the Falke. That's the unit the Lieutenant Commander pilots. But as far as I know he's only been in it once in combat during the liberation of the Philippines."

Kallen's eyes became saucers at that, "What! You mean the Philippines are no longer under Britannian control? When did that happen!"

"Oh, just a few months ago. It was rather quick to begin with. The Britannian military was very weak and none of them were able send a distress signal, so for now very few people know about it. Afterwards the Lieutenant Commander was then given this ship and some key equipment to continue his operations of liberating all other areas under Britannian control. But Japan is far more daunting I'm afraid…"

Kallen nodded in agreement. Though an island country itself, Japan had far more mass and the Britannians made several bases and strongholds so they could easily deploy units to fight the E.U. and possibly the Chinese. And with Britannia so close, it would be difficult to mount a massive campaign without catching their attention. No wonder the Outcaste were being so cautious. However, if Lelouch managed to pull such a clean victory without the Britannian's notice, then there was a large possibility that her country would be freed from Britannia's clutches.

As she thought about this, Kallen suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Suzuki for some time now. What on earth was she doing?

"Something wrong?" Miho asked with concern. Kallen however shook her head.

"It's nothing really. I just haven't seen Suzuki since she took off with Lelouch. What on earth could they be talking about that last three hours?"

As she pounder this, Kallen noticed Miho's features grow red and had a lewd grin on her face.

"Goodness. I never thought the Commander would suddenly take an interest in someone. Was she a good friend of his?"

"Yeah, they knew each other before the Britannian's attacked Japan, why?" Kallen couldn't understand why Miho was acting like this all of a sudden, but those thoughts disappeared when Suzuki suddenly appeared, looking rather perky for some reason.

"Hey Kallen, so this is where you were? I knew these mech's wouldn't elude your attention for long," she said smiling like she usually did, but something was slightly off.

"Yeah well, couldn't miss the opportunity you know? But where have you've been? Did you have that much catching up to do or what?"

Suzuki suddenly averted her eyes for a moment before she composed herself, "Uh, yeah. Yeah we did. It's just been so long you know? And I just wonder what he's been up to all these years."

Her answers were hesitant and she looked rather nervous, what had happened between those two? Miho however was watching Suzuki with amusement while a predatory grin began to form on her lips.

"So, was that before or after you two decided to 'catch' up?" she asked innocently enough, but Suzuki however was suddenly panic stricken.

"What?! We didn't do anything wrong! We're just talking!" She replied while waving her hands back and forth as if it would ward the penetrating gaze that Miho was given her.

"Right… Then explain why you're walking funny and have this glowing aura? I'll admit I'm really jealous. With that lean muscular body and those lovely lavender eyes that pierces through your soul, who wouldn't hit that?"

Kallen suddenly felt herself become really rigid and could feel intense heat emit from her face. Did Suzuki and Lelouch just have sex?!

Suzuki, with no defense to hide her crime, sunk to her knees and averted everyone's gaze, probably wishing there was a hole she could crawl into. Kallen didn't know what to think. Normally Suzuki was level headed about such things and though she dated some guys in the past, they never went beyond first base. So what the hell happened?!

Miho however just chuckled and gave Suzuki a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "There's nothing to feel ashamed about. We're only human after all, and I think he wouldn't have gone that far unless you meant something to him. You feel the same way about him right?"

Suzuki nodded sheepishly, not daring to look in Kallen's direction, whom at this point was still as a statue, trying to gauge the event that took place.

"Well, now that's taken care of. Why don't we head over to the cafeteria to celebrate?" Miho suggested cheerfully while dragging the embarrassed Suzuki and the stone stricken Kallen.

Suzuki wasn't the only one getting the treatment, as Lelouch found himself in front of his monitor with Guhl giving him a rather stony glare. He didn't know how, but Guhl had already learned on what occurred with Suzuki-chan, and now was scolding him on something he would rather not discuss.

"Boy, I just warned you what you are only to discover that a few hours later that not only did you have intercourse but you bit her! Do you realize what you've done?!" The senator bellowed. Lelouch knew he was half alien, but he wasn't so sure on why Guhl was so pissed at him.

"Sir, I'll take full responsibility if she becomes pregnant," Lelouch began to say, but Guhl cut him off.

"Not that boy! You're race doesn't become fertile until you're two hundred years old! What you did was something I was dreading the moment I discovered you were Templar's!"

Lelouch blinked in confusion. If Suzuki-chan wasn't pregnant, then what could possibly be rattling the senator so much? Guhl however didn't give him a chance to form the question and drilled on.

"Guh, since you don't know I'll break it down for you. When your race goes into heat, they start looking for mates, and are very picky. That's why you haven't any interest apart from that Shirley girl. Once you found your chosen, your body starts secreting a very powerful aroma to attract the mate in question. And I wager cause the two of you were in a small room it quicken the process."

"Ok, that explains why she was so forward, but I don't understand why biting her is such a big deal?"

Guhl was now pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, as if the whole thing was giving him a migraine.

"Son, when your race has intercourse with their mates, your fangs produce a powerful aphrodisiac that draws them to you and only you. And if that person in question isn't your race, the aphrodisiac basically reconfigures their DNA and body; converting them like a vampire would. To put it simply you've just turn your girlfriend into a Blood Elf like you and now she's officially your first wife."

Lelouch was speechless. He just turned Suzuki into blood Elf? He could feel his body turn cold and felt the blood drain from his face. Guhl seemed satisfied with this and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Don't feel too bad son. Chances are she won't mind. One of the great things about your race is your ability to find the perfect partner. And now that's she's bonded to you, it will be her duty to find your other wives."

"Wait what?! What do you mean other wives?!" Lelouch demand, springing out of his chair like a rocket.

"Oh settle down boy. Your race has a high tendency to produce female offspring then males. So by instinct you and your wife will look for other female's that can give you a son. Once you do, your sex drive will be cut in half and you'll lose most interest in other women except your wives. It's rather convenient actually…"

"The hell it is! How am I supposed to make sure they don't tear each other apart?! You think any of them are going to share me?!"

"Uh, son, your race lacks certain emotions, one being jealousy. With your genes wired as they are, your race can't afford to be possessive. That's why they're so influential among humans. In fact, they're almost perfect. I was actually planning on having your father impregnate other key women when he informed me that it only works on his mates. In other words you can have as many lovers as you want, but unless they have the potential to become a mate, they won't become pregnant. That's why your father hasn't had any other children besides you three. However, he never explained to me what would happen if the first wife died and he didn't have a second. Would he have the ability to find another? I wonder? Anyway, my main concern was you converting the entire school and running amuck, and then we would have a real crisis on our hands.

Lelouch however heard enough. This was too far fetch even for him. He was just going get the information directly from the man who should have told him in the first place. However, that would be days before he would meet his true father again. So rather than lock himself in a room, he decided to vent his frustration the training simulator.

"So, was he really good?" Miho asked out of the blue, causing Suzuki to turn beet red and Kallen to choke on her tea. Since they came to the mess hall, Miho had been poking at her to reveal her experience with casual talk. But it would seem that she finally became impatient and decided to ask directly, much to her embarrassment.

"Miho! Don't ask such personal crap like that! Just drop it already!" Kallen fumed, trying to pretend that nothing took place. Suzuki couldn't really blame Kallen for her reaction. They were practically sisters and was obviously protective of her. Now, to suddenly find out that her best friend just slept with someone from the past and in such short span of time was something Kallen had no experience with, and thus had no idea how to deal with the situation. Suzuki herself wasn't so sure why she was suddenly daring. Was her hormones really that pent up? The idea embarrassed her in many ways. It was almost like she was a closet pervert or something. But she didn't regret it. And knowing how she felt, there was a good chance that it would happen again.

She felt herself smile at the thought, catching the attention of the ever watchful Miho.

"Wow, that good huh? Maybe I should try my luck again and see what happens," Miho teased. Most girls would have played down the idea in some form. But in truth, Suzuki didn't feel threaten by it. She trusted Lelouch, and even it was to happen, she felt that it would be a short lived romance.

"You can go ahead and try, but I think Lu-kun would likely pass on the idea."

"Yeah, you're right. Practically every girl on this ship has thrown themselves at him at least once and no dice. Guess I'll just go after Lord Templar."

Suzuki's face really burn then. First the son, now the father! But she then remembered that few people knew of Lelouch's origins, so the connection was still secret. But for how long? And how would people react to it?

"Uh, you're really a hopeless romantic you know that? Is guys all you ever think about?" Kallen sighed as she took another sip of tea.

"No, I think of girls too," Miho responded as she was talking about the weather, making Kallen choke on her tea a second time. Suzuki swore she was doing that on purpose.

"Wh..What!? Y..you mean you're…" Kallen couldn't say the word's, it was just too awkward to say. Suzuki however didn't feel troubled by it. Actually, now that she thought about it, she found the idea exciting.

"Yup, I'm bi! Guilty as charged!" Miho replied cheerfully, giggling at Kallen's reaction.

"But how can you be so… Open about it? Aren't you worried of what others might think?!"

"Why should I? I'm who I am. I have nothing to feel ashamed about. Besides, I find the whole thing rather erotic myself, and guys practically drool over stuff like that."

"That's what I mean! You don't want to attract some sleaze ball do you?! All guys are perverts when it comes to stuff like that!" Kallen lectured, breathing heavily as the subject was getting increasingly more uncomfortable for her. Suzuki however found the idea rather appealing. Was she bi too?

"Oh come now Kallen-chan, don't be such a stick in the mud. Girl's can be perverts too you know? And besides, I know what I want. But let me ask you this, what are you looking in for a partner?"

Suzuki knew Kallen was in trouble now, for she never dated a guy before. Probably of years pretending to be sickly and ignoring men trying to seduce her cause she appeared to be an easy target. So for years she never really had an interest. But what she said next surprised her.

"Guh, fine. If you really want to know, I would like a guy who sees the real 'me'. Not some piece of meat to be use and toss aside," she said bitterly. It was then Suzuki realized what Kallen was referring too. Kallen's mother fell in love with a Britannian aristocrat only to be thrown away for another women. It was no wonder Kallen was wary of men.

Miho seemed to sense this and quickly looked apologetic, "I'm sorry Kallen-chan. I didn't know this was a sore subject for you…"

"No, it's fine. You didn't know what my experience has been so I can't expect you to. But I do wish there was a man out there for me. Someone I can rely on and put my life on the line for. But, with my life style right now, I think romance will have to take a back seat for now."

"Speaking of romance, here comes your Romeo now," Miho said suddenly. Both women looked and saw Lelouch standing on the other side of the hall, clad in a dark blue officer's uniform with a bronze shoulder guard shaped into a falcon. Suzuki was speechless at the sight, for never she would have imagined that Lelouch could look so sexy in a military uniform. Kallen was also speechless, but under a different point of view. What she saw was a man who dressed as well as he fought, and had an aura of a professional soldier that raised moral wherever he went. A real born leader.

As Lelouch stepped into the mess hall, a guard that was posted at the door stood at attention and roared, "Commander on deck, ATTENTION!"

In almost in an instant, the entire room erupted as men and women quickly left their seats and stood at attention, all of them gazing at their Lieutenant commander with respect that left the newcomers in awe.

"Hey! Don't just sit there, stand up!" Miho hissed behind them. Suzuki turned to find that Miho was also standing at attention, her face serious and stoic as the rest in the room. Both women quickly scrambled and stood up rigid, feeling rather embarrass by this new ritual. Thankfully no one seemed to notice as Lelouch calmly entered the room, looking at his men with his piercing lavender eyes. Suzuki didn't know how long she stood there, but it felt like hours when Lelouch finally told them to be at ease, and Suzuki suddenly found her legs weak from the event. Was this how military life was suppose to be like? She could feel her confidence fall like a rock, along with her will to be by his side. How could she fight along with him if she couldn't even do a simple exercise in military conduct? But when their eyes met, her fears melted away when he smiled fondly at her.

"Don't worry you two; you'll get use to it. After a month or so, it will be second nature to you. So, how you guys like the ship?"

Suzuki suddenly found herself smiling brightly as, her courage and energetic personality came roaring back, like all her worries were swept away by his kind jester.

"This place is amazing! With all this we'll surly win back our country!"

"Glad to hear it," Lelouch beamed. Kallen however kept silent through the whole engagement. She admired his accomplishments, however his recent stunt made her wonder about his morals. But she held her tongue for Suzuki's sake. So when Lelouch asked Suzuki to take a walk with him, Kallen didn't object.

As they walked away, Miho was giving her a curious glance, "You're not going to stop them?"

"Why would I? Suzuki's a grown women, she can handle herself," she rationalized. But her face must of betrayed her true feelings cause Miho was giving her a frown.

"Oh come now. I know we've just met, but I can easily tell you're worried. Have more faith in our commander. He's not the type to take advantage of someone. Now, how about we take another trip to the hanger bay? I wanna see how you do on the training simulator. Kallen didn't respond but allowed herself to be steered by Miho as they left the mess hall, her food barely touched.

Suzuki was a little curious when Lelouch asked her to take a walk with him. He seemed worried for some reason; she could tell by the slight frown he always made when something was astray. But he didn't say anything as he led them back to his office, the same place where they made love hours before.

"Is there something wrong Lu-kun? You're awfully quite," she asked, feeling suddenly worried that maybe they had moved their relationship too fast.

"Well, it's somewhat complicated. It…involves my blood actually…" he replied awkwardly as he sat on his coach with her by his side.

"Lu-kun, I told you I didn't care about you being a half alien," Suzuki began, but Lelouch frown deepened, making her stop in midsentence.

"It's not that. It just that Guhl informed me of something that made me… Doubtful. You know why we became so… bold earlier?"

Suzuki felt her ears burn at that question, as if she could analyze her raging hormones!

"Uh… I really don't know…I guess it was pent up emotions…" she replied awkwardly. Lelouch chuckled at that and gently stroked her hand, making her feel more at ease.

"I felt the same way. And I know our feelings for one another are genuine. But I think my… other half may have hastened our relationship…"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Suzuki asked, tilting her head in confusion. Lelouch began to scratch his chin, a trait when he was felt uncomfortable.

"Apparently, when my people are… in heat, we produce a powerful pheromone that attracts our chosen mate. And well, you saw what happen."

"I see…" Suzuki suddenly felt her face burn at that, to think that she could make Lelouch feel that way and make them both drunk from his pheromones was something she felt happy for some reason. But she knew that wasn't the thing that was making him worry.

"What's really the issue Lelouch? Did I get pregnant? Because if that's the case, then I don't mind."

She meant it too, if she was pregnant, at least it was with someone she loved, and not something like a bad night at prom. Lelouch was chuckling a little at that, his face glowing red like hers.

"I feel the same way, but that's not the case… When we had sex, do you remember me biting you?"

"Eh?!.. I..uh, maybe? I mean, we were so… you know," Suzuki stammered as flashbacks at that moment, her face burning to the point where she could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks.

"Well, apparently when my people mate with other humans, it's the norm for them to bite them, and that makes them… turn into them…" Lelouch explained awkwardly.

"What, like a vampire or something?" Suddenly Suzuki felt herself relax. If Lelouch was only worried about making her into an elf, then that was fine with her. In truth she didn't care, as long as she was with him till the end, that's all that mattered.

"Yeah, something like that. What's more, apparently female's can't become pregnant until they're two hundred years old."

Suzuki suddenly felt herself smile at that thought. That meant she had plently of time to be as reckless as she wanted with him. Oh her young life just got so much sweeter!

"Also, and this is something I wasn't sure how you would react too. But females tend to give only female offspring. So they both basically go find other potential mates to bare him a son…"

Lelouch let that hang in the air, as if waiting for sudden explosion to occur. Instead however, Suzuki suddenly found herself giggling uncontrollably. Maybe it was the elf blood coursing through her veins that she didn't give a wit about finding more mates, but seeing Lelouch react like this was too cute!

"Oh Lu-kun, was that all you were worried about? Such a silly boy…" she purred as she gently pushed him on the sofa and got on top of him, relishing on his reaction.

"Wait, you're not mad? Doesn't it bother you that you might share me with other women?"

"Nope, not one bit. Maybe when I was human I might had an issue. But I'm a blood elf now, just like you. This is the way of our people apparently, and honestly even if I was human, I find the whole thing rather… erotic…"

Then without warning, Suzuki grabbed Lelouch by the collar and gave him the deepest she could muster, practically sucking all the air out of his lungs. When she finally broke away, she could finally sense the rich aroma in the air. This was what he was talking about. The powerful pheromone that brought them both together and now was making her dizzy with lust. Lelouch was staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world, making feel so horny that she wanted to rip his uniform from his body.

"Dear God Suzuki, your pheromones are intoxicating," he growled as he returned her kiss, leaving her almost breathless. But he stopped midway and gently pushed her away. Suzuki was confused at first; that was till she realized what he was doing. First he walked over to the door and locked it. Then he stood before her and slowly began to strip in front of her. Suzuki could feel herself losing control as she drank his image. Lelouch seemed to sense this and took his time, slowly unbuttoning his over shirt and his boots, then his belt which he flung across the room, causing her to giggle. Then he began to unbutton his undershirt, on agonizing button at a time. Suzuki could feel herself become extremely aroused, her breathing becoming heavy and could feel a great amount of moister soaking through her panty's. In the situation that she was in, Suzuki swore she could hear porn music going on as Lelouch finally revealed his broad chest and kicked his trousers away, leaving him in his boxer shorts and black socks.

"Lu-kun, I can't take it anymore! Take me, strip me later!" Suzuki demanded as she got up and removed her pants and soaked underwear. Lelouch was already on his knees, lapping up her sweet nectar and driving her lust into the sky.

"Ah! Oh God..! Lu-kun!" Suzuki gasped as she collapsed back onto the coach, grabbing Lelouch head as he teased her with his tongue until her inner thighs were practically soaked. Suzuki was almost to the finish line when Lelouch suddenly backed off, making her moan in frustration.

"Ah! You're so mean!" She whined, but Lelouch simply chuckled and continued to pleasure her, sending Suzuki on a roller coaster ride of lust that made want to scream more.

"Lu-kun! Please! I can't take it anymore, finish me!" she begged as colors began to invade her vision. So much that she didn't even notice that Lelouch and switch positions and had her ready to sit on his lap. Suzuki didn't hesitate and impaled herself on his cock, making her cum so hard that she could feel herself soak his lap with it. Lelouch simply smiled as he watched her twitched for a moment before she calmed down and smiled warmly at him, stroking his cheek.

"I love you so much," she whispered softly, peppering him with kisses. This lasted for a few moments before Lelouch began to move his hips, sending Suzuki to pleasure filled oblivion. She had no regrets, none what so ever. Though she was little worried that these sessions would become an addiction, she figured that there was worse things in life. And this was probably the closes thing to heaven she was going to get.

Author's note: Sorry it took so long, was going to release this on Thanksgiving but had to fix some things. Hell, I bet they're still a few errors on this thing! Oh well. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Capital city of Australia, Demetrius

"Gentlemen, I thank you for coming to this meeting on such a short notice. Thanks to Zero and Lord Templar's victories in Japan, I'm confident that we can now move to step two of our plan. However, I would like ask your opinions about our future campaign's in the middle east," Guhl announced over his monitor in the meeting room. In the room were the Outcaste Military leaders, the Senator's and the President himself, were discussing recent advents. Lieutenant Commander Lamperouge had already drafted several Japanese rebel cells and was continuing to bring hope to the Japanese people while Zero continue to gain more control from the JLF, posing as one of their commanders. Then there was Loki, disguised as Viceroy Clovis la Britannia, was busy weakening the military by having them hunt down the JLF, allowing Commander Radec to carefully place his units in the Philippines and await the go ahead to invade Japan. All the years of planning were finally bearing fruit, and the coming of phase 2 of their operation's was close at hand.

However, there was a problem. Despite Loki's efforts to deter outside interference, Britannia's top Commander Cornelia li Britannia was making her way to Japan to replace Clovis after losing the Nano-gear and become Japan's next Viceroy. This didn't bode well, for Cornelia was by far the most talented Knightmare pilot and a brilliant field commander. Her presence would increase the chance of the Outcaste being discovered and forcing them into a war with Britannia two years early from their original plans. Nothing would stop her from taking her position, but there could be a way to make her own people lose faith in her. Lord Templar claimed that if he and Lieutenant Lamperouge continue to humiliate the Britannian military, it would force them to concentrate attacking the JLF and thus allowing them to insert a new force to take the banner; one that would champion the Japanese and encourage outside help. Zero was suppose to assist this by making the JLF look bad by taking Britannian upper class civilians and executing them on web. This had mix results, and it was determined that the JLF would have to be dealt with in the near future. As for the plans of liberating the remaining areas, the task was placed upon the young French Commander La Ble'ach Hinder IV, and thus was given the command of the Aerial Battleship Draco with a large fleet. With this force and Cornelia no longer in the area, La Ble'ach would begin his campaign in the Middle East. Commander Triton was task of strengthening the defenses in the Philippines so the Kaga could join Redac's invasion force, where the Aerial Carrier Argus was waiting.

The time was ticking, and the pieces were now on the table. There was no turning back now. They've spent nearly a decade preparing for this war, a war that would most likely be considered WWIII…

Australian city Tudor, four days ago…

The city that never sleeps. This city was where people could let loose and enjoy life to the fullest. Drinking, gambling, dancing, gentlemen clubs, sports centers. If you had an itch for some entertainment, Tudor was the city to go to. However, there was a completely different reason why Templar was there. He had a close friend who operated many of the establishments in the city, and made a decent profit. Mostly from strip clubs and bars that stretched down main street. As Templar strolled in to the gentlemen's club called Julia, he was immediately stopped by a dark colored man wearing street cloths and lots of gold jewelry.

"You got a pass man? This club is members only," he notified in a bored tone, most likely because of the long shift he was taking.

"I'm here to see Mr. Tucker. Tell him a crimson hawk is here to see him," Templar answered while handing the man a letter with his family seal. The bouncer regarded the letter for a moment before handing it to one of his runners. After a few moments of standing there, and occasionally waving to the women of the club, the runner returned.

"Mr. Tucker is expecting you, welcome to Julia," the young man invited as he unhooked the rope that blocked the entrance. Before entering, he gave the bouncer a hundred dollar tip and smiled, "I know life can be chore sometimes, but keep your chin up eh?"

The bouncer was speechless for a moment before he grinned and pocketed the cash, "I'll keep that mind."

Templar nodded and followed the runner through a series of doors that eventually led upstairs to the VIP area, where his friend Tucker was sitting comfortably in his black leather couch, lazily watching his girls strip before him. He was a colored man who always wore a white suit and some sort of assorted jewelry. Tucker was born in South Africa and didn't exactly have a great childhood when the Britannians took over the country. So, like so many others, he came to Australia to start anew, making a very successful business that unfortunately also dealt with shady dealings. The only reason why he hadn't been imprisoned was the fact that Templar was the Senator of this city, and thus made a personal exception for him. When he saw Templar saunter his way, the pimp cracked a grin that was eye catching.

"Well ain't it my long lost brother! How's the bigwigs treating ya these days!" he said in a friendly manner, shaking Templar's hand and pulling him into a hug.

"Things are picking up now. It's only a matter of time before we make our debut. However, I want to make certain that things go smoothly as possible, and the Britannian mafia is starting to be…tiresome."

"What? Bunch of pansy ass crackers are giving you shit? The fuck man, why didn't you give me a ring earlier?" Tucker replied as he offered Templar seat next to him while he took a glass from a topless server.

"Well, since I began my purging of the drug refrain, they have becoming more military oriented and I suspect they're getting assistance from the local authorities. Seems that the local bigots want to keep the Japanese on the low while they get rich from their suffering."

"Uh, you know I deal in drugs right? Don't get me wrong, my shit doesn't fuck up people like refrain does, but why come to me about this?"

"Old friend, there is another product that you have that makes you very valuable individual. I want you to start strong arming the mafia and take over the market. Flood the country with weapons, and then start planting seeds that will degrade the upper class in the Britannian community."

A small grin began to form on Tucker's face. Whenever Templar needed assistance that involved shady affairs, Tucker was his man. Unlike the stuck up nobles in the capital, Templar accepted his life style as a way to make a living. It wasn't always honest, but as long as Tucker kept things on the low and made people happy, Templar had no complaints on what he did. Sure there were some things that Tucker wasn't allowed to sell to the Outcaste, but that got lifted when it involved the enemy. Templar won his wars, Tucker gets rich. Plain and simple.

"I like what I see. So, I take it you want me to start recruiting over there?" Templar however shook his head.

"No, send you most experience sellers and have them only target the wealthy. Have them host parties and blackmail some limp dick noble fucking a cat, I don't care, but I want the Britannian public to lose faith in their government, that way, we can stroll in and take over without too much fuss. Simple yes?"

"Way ahead of you bro, let me get the boy's ready and I'll have them at your crib tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Templar replied cheerfully as he raised his glass, "Here's to our prosperous future, may the wicked drown in their own despair."

Tucker took his own glass and tapped it against Templar's and smiled with his incredibly white teeth, "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Now in the present, Templar had just got done with his negotiations with the Taizo Kirihara, leader of the Kyoto house and founder of the Kirihara Industries. The meeting went really well, but Taizo was a very careful man, and wanted proof of the Crimson Knights goals in the terms of liberating Japan. Templar understood completely, and confidently replied that he and his task force will take the necessary steps to earn their trust. This concluded the meeting, and Templar was well on his way to the Academy when he received a call from Guhl.

"Old man, this better be important," Templar grimaced as his lack of sleep for three days was finally catching up with him.

"I thought I should let you know that your son just found his first mate…" Guhl said calmly. Templar however reacted quite differently, his eyes went wide as saucers and his face practically paled, much to Guhl's amusement.

"The devil are you talking about?! When did this happened?!" Templar roared, startling his driver who nearly slid into another car. Templar however wasn't paying any attention to the world around him as he stared intently at Guhl for a full minute before the Senator gave a heavy sigh.

"Just a few hours ago. And with an old friend I might add. Does the name Suzuki ring a bell?"

"Yes, she was my son's childhood friend before Japan's invasion. I take it she's still alive?"

"Oho, very much so. In fact, those two haven't really left each other since they departed from Japan. It's a good thing he performed the ritual, otherwise that girl would surely be pregnant at the rate they're going. Ten times, now really," Guhl mused to himself while Templar leaned back in his seat, rubbing the bridge of his nose. On one hand, he was proud of his son, on the other however, now he was going to explain to his son about his unique blood that flowed through his veins. Guhl however seem to since his distraught and made an attempt to calm him.

"No need to worry old friend. I've already taken the liberty of explaining the situation to him. And, as it turns out, he took it rather well. Even his Suzuki doesn't seem to mind. So I guess that just leaves the awkward I'm your father moment when he comes back."

"Yeah, looking forward to that. Nothing like telling someone that he performed adultery on his mother, just peachy," Templar replied darkly.

"Better you then thinking his father was a murdering scum. He actually looked rather pleased that you were his real father. Now it's just how you're going to break this news to your eldest daughter when she arrives to Japan."

"What? Luluko is coming here?! Explain!" Templar demanded, startling his driver a second time.

"Not to discourage you, but Corneila is coming to replace Clovis as Viceroy. And we both know that your daughter is always with her step sister Euphemia. So yes, your daughter is coming to Japan. So I strongly suggest you make plans to reclaim her and if possible, princess Euphemia. As for Lelouch I wouldn't worry so much, however, I'd be more worry about your daughter. You blood has the same effect on her and I can't began to imagine what she's going through right now. Thankfully her young body guard is keeping her in check, but he'll submit to her desires eventually."

"Indeed. Well, it appears that I have much to do when I get back home. Never realize being a real father was so strenuous," Templar joked lightly as he made his way back towards Ashford academy. After he concluded his conversation with Guhl, it occurred to him that Nunnally wasn't mention at all. Was she safe for now? It was a possibility; she did after all had one year before her blood would supposedly start changing her. Dear lord, it was going to be really awkward telling his sweet child about the birds and the bee's. Hell, he didn't even want to think about to happen when his little girl was going to experience such things!

"Ugh, I need to sleep."


End file.
